Melissa Premaratne has been named as the 16-year-old pedestrian who died after a collision in Highgate. The identification was made as enquiries continued into the incident on North Road on the morning of Thursday 24 September.
Emergency services were called shortly after 08:13 following reports of a collision involving a pedestrian and a car. Police, ambulance, fire and air ambulance crews attended. Melissa was pronounced dead at the scene.
Her next of kin have been told and are receiving support from specialist officers. In a tribute released after she was named, Melissa’s family described her as a light in their lives and said that her kindness, warmth and spirit would remain in their hearts. The statement underlines the personal loss behind an investigation that remains active.
Melissa was a Year 12 pupil at Highgate School and was travelling to school when the collision happened, according to information issued after her death. The school community has also been offered support while it mourns a pupil whose death has affected family, friends, fellow pupils and staff.
Driver released on bail
A 68-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by careless driving. He has since been released on bail. This is an investigative status, not a charge or a finding that he was responsible for the collision.
No conclusion about how the collision occurred has been announced. Investigators are still working to establish the circumstances and are seeking information that could help them do so. That means the available account should be treated as preliminary while the inquiry continues.
Officers have asked anyone who witnessed the collision, or who has relevant dashcam, CCTV or mobile-phone footage from the area around the time of the incident, to get in touch. The appeal covers material that may assist investigators in building an accurate account of events on North Road.
Focus on the ongoing inquiry
The naming of Melissa is a significant development after initial reports referred only to an unnamed teenage pedestrian. It gives the community a confirmed identity for the young person who died, while the investigation remains focused on evidence rather than on assumptions about cause or responsibility.
North Road is a route used by residents, school communities and people travelling through Highgate. The fatal collision has therefore brought renewed attention to the vulnerability of people on foot and to the importance of preserving any evidence from the period immediately before and after a serious road incident.
For now, the confirmed position is limited but clear: Melissa Premaratne died following the collision; the driver was arrested and later released on bail; and detectives are continuing their work. Any future decisions on charges, responsibility or further action will depend on the outcome of that ongoing investigation.
Those affected by the death are being asked to respect the family’s privacy. The continued appeal for witnesses and footage remains an important part of the effort to establish what happened and to give Melissa’s family the fullest possible account of the events of that morning.
