The other driver is gone. Your car is damaged, and you may be hurt. The most important thing you can do next is report a hit-and-run to Metro or NHP, or to the city police where it happened, and do it the right way. In Las Vegas, which agency you call, which line you use, and whether you leave with an event number all matter later. That’s especially true if you need your own insurance to pay.
Here’s who to call, where to go, and what to say.
Who to Call After a Hit-and-Run in Las Vegas
| Your situation | Who to contact |
|---|---|
| Anyone is hurt, you’re in danger, or the other car is still in sight | 911 |
| No injuries. Crash in the City of Las Vegas or unincorporated Clark County (including the Strip, Paradise, Spring Valley, Enterprise, and Summerlin) | Metro non-emergency: (702) 828-3111 or 311 |
| On a freeway such as I-15, US-95, or I-11 | *NHP (*647) from a cell phone, or 911 if anyone is hurt |
| In Henderson, North Las Vegas, or Boulder City | That city’s police department |
If someone is injured, don’t stop to work out who has jurisdiction. Call 911 and let dispatch send the right agency.
Metro, NHP, or City Police? Match the Agency to Where You Were Hit
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (Metro, or LVMPD) covers the City of Las Vegas and unincorporated Clark County. That includes the Strip and most of the valley. Henderson, North Las Vegas, and Boulder City have their own police departments. Metro only takes reports for crashes in its own jurisdiction. A mailing address that says “Las Vegas” doesn’t mean Metro handles it.
Freeways are different. Metro sends freeway crash reports to the Nevada State Police Highway Patrol, which most people still call NHP. If you were hit on I-15 near Tropicana or on US-95 through the Spaghetti Bowl, NHP is usually your agency.
The agency matters for more than paperwork. Under Nevada’s uninsured motorist statute (NRS 690B.020), hit-and-run coverage generally depends on two things. There must have been physical contact, and the crash must have been reported on time to the right agency. That means the city police where it happened, or in unincorporated areas the county sheriff (Metro) or NHP. Our guide to the reporting deadline that protects your UM claim explains that timing rule step by step.
How to Report a Hit-and-Run to Metro
By phone: (702) 828-3111
Metro takes some reports by phone when there’s no suspect information. The call taker will ask about the crash, your injuries, and the damage. If your report meets Metro’s criteria, you’ll get an event number. Write it down before you hang up. That number is how your insurer, your attorney, and the police tie everything back to your crash.
If you got the plate or have video of the other car, Metro generally wants the report made in person, because that’s suspect information detectives can act on.
In person at an area command
You can walk into any Metro area command or the Records and Fingerprint Bureau:
| Station | Address |
|---|---|
| Bolden Area Command | 1851 Stella Lake St. |
| Convention Center Area Command | 750 Sierra Vista Dr. |
| Downtown Area Command | 621 N. 9th St. |
| Enterprise Area Command | 6975 W. Windmill Ln. |
| Northeast Area Command | 3750 Cecile Ave. |
| Northwest Area Command | 9850 W. Cheyenne Ave. |
| South Central Area Command | 4860 S. Las Vegas Blvd. |
| Southeast Area Command | 3675 E. Harmon Ave. |
| Spring Valley Area Command | 8445 Eldora Ave. |
| Summerlin Area Command | 11301 Redpoint Dr. |
| Metro HQ, Records & Fingerprint Bureau | 400 S. Martin Luther King Blvd., Building C |
Bring your license, registration, insurance card, photos of the damage, and anything you wrote down at the scene. Filing a report is free.
Why you can’t file a hit-and-run online
Metro’s online reporting system is built for minor property crimes. It specifically excludes vehicle damage caused by a traffic collision, accident, or hit-and-run. It also excludes any report where you have a plate or video. The “$5,000” limit you may see online applies to other property crimes, not crashes. Use the phone line or go in person.
How to Report a Hit-and-Run to NHP
On a freeway or state highway, dial *NHP (*647) from your cell phone. The call is free and rings the nearest Highway Patrol station. If anyone is hurt, call 911 instead.
If your car still runs and it’s safe, move to the shoulder or the next exit before you call. Don’t stand in live freeway lanes to take photos. NHP’s Southern Command office is at 6830 Bermuda Road in Las Vegas, (702) 486-4100, if you need to follow up in person.
What to Say When You Call
Adrenaline makes people forget details. Have this ready:
- Where: The closest cross streets or mile marker, for example “eastbound Flamingo just past Decatur.”
- When: The time of the crash, as close as you can get.
- The other car: Color, make, body style, damage, and any part of the plate. Even a partial plate or rough description helps.
- Which way they went: Direction and the street they turned onto.
- Injuries: Yours and your passengers’, even if they seem minor.
- Cameras and witnesses: Nearby businesses, gas stations, and anyone who stopped.
Stick to what you saw. Don’t guess about speed or fault. Whatever you say ends up in the report.
Hit in a Parking Lot, Casino Garage, or While Parked
Parking-lot hit-and-runs still count. A driver who hits an unattended car in Nevada has to stop and either find the owner or leave a note with their name and address. Driving off breaks the at-scene duties covered in Nevada’s hit-and-run laws.
Report it to Metro by phone or at an area command. On private property, an officer may not come out for a crash with no injuries, but you can still make the report. Also report it to property security right away and ask them to save the footage. Casino and shopping-center systems often record over video quickly. If you end up with only a security incident report, you still have options. See filing a claim without a police report.
What If No Officer Comes Out?
Metro doesn’t always send an officer to a minor crash with no injuries. That doesn’t cancel your duty to report, and it doesn’t cancel your claim. Make the report by phone or in person and get your event number.
There’s a second, separate duty. If no officer investigated at the scene and the crash caused an injury or at least $750 in damage, Nevada law (NRS 484E.070) requires you to send an SR-1 crash report to the DMV within 10 days. The SR-1 goes to the DMV. It doesn’t take the place of a police report. Here’s what happens if you skip either one.
After You Report: Event Numbers, Follow-Up, and Your Copy
Your event number is a reference number, not the finished report. The written report usually becomes available later. Our Helpline guide explains how to get a copy of your police report in Nevada.
How much follow-up you get depends mostly on how serious the crash was. Leaving a crash that injured someone is a felony in Nevada, and those cases get the most attention. Damage-only cases with no plate often get limited follow-up. That’s why your own evidence matters. For a wider look at what happens after you report, see our overview of hit-and-run reporting in Las Vegas.
Why Your Police Report Is the Start of Your Claim
When the driver is never found, your claim usually goes to your own uninsured motorist coverage. Your own insurer will read your report as closely as any other insurer would.
Attorney Glen Howard spent years as an insurance defense attorney before he started representing injured people. He knows what an adjuster checks first:
- How much time passed between the crash and the report
- Whether it went to the right agency
- Whether your description matches the damage
- Whether the damage shows real contact with another car
Gaps in any of those give an insurer a reason to delay, pay less, or deny.
A report made quickly and correctly closes those gaps before they open. From there, UM/UIM coverage can pay after a hit-and-run even when the driver is never identified. A Las Vegas hit-and-run accident lawyer can make sure your report and your claim tell the same story. Every case is different, and Howard Injury Law’s motor vehicle accident attorneys look at yours on its own facts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it worth filing a police report for a minor hit and run?
Yes, in almost every case. If there’s any chance you’ll need your own insurance, the police report may decide whether that coverage applies. Nevada’s uninsured motorist statute ties hit-and-run coverage to a timely report to the right agency. Minor damage also turns out to be more expensive than it looks surprisingly often, and injuries like whiplash can show up a day or two later. Filing is free, a phone report takes a few minutes, and it gives you an event number that documents the crash officially. Skipping it saves you almost nothing and hands the insurer an easy argument against you later.
Do you file a police report for a hit and run in a parking lot?
Yes. A driver who hits a parked car has to find the owner or leave a note with their contact information. Driving away without doing either is a hit-and-run, even in a casino garage or grocery store lot. In Metro’s jurisdiction, report it by calling (702) 828-3111 or going to an area command. Metro’s online system doesn’t accept hit-and-run damage. Then report it to property security the same day and ask them to preserve camera footage before it’s recorded over. An officer may not come out for a private-property crash with no injuries, but a police report and a security incident report together give you the strongest record.
How long will police investigate a minor hit and run?
There’s no fixed timeline. How much follow-up happens depends mostly on how serious the crash was and how many leads there are. When someone is injured or killed, leaving the scene is a felony, and investigators give those cases priority. For a damage-only crash with no plate and no video, follow-up may be limited or may not happen at all. That’s why it pays to collect your own evidence: photos, witness contacts, and footage requests to nearby businesses. Your claim through your own uninsured motorist coverage doesn’t depend on police finding the driver. It depends on the report being made on time and your evidence holding up.
How do I report an accident without a police report?
If no officer investigated at the scene, Nevada law requires you to send an SR-1 Report of Traffic Crash to the DMV within 10 days when the crash caused injury, death, or at least $750 in damage. You can still file a police report by phone or at an area command, even after the fact. The two do different jobs. The SR-1 meets your DMV duty. A police report is what your uninsured motorist claim generally depends on after a hit-and-run. Do both, keep copies, and write down the dates you filed.
What’s the Metro non-emergency number?
Metro’s non-emergency line is (702) 828-3111, and you can also dial 311. Use it for a hit-and-run with no injuries inside Metro’s jurisdiction: the City of Las Vegas and unincorporated Clark County, including the Strip. If anyone is hurt, you’re in danger, or the other car is still in sight, call 911. On I-15, US-95, or another freeway, dial *NHP (*647) from a cell phone. If the crash happened in Henderson, North Las Vegas, or Boulder City, call that city’s police department.
The Driver Ran. Your Claim Doesn’t Have To.
You did the right thing by reporting it. The next step is making sure your insurer can’t use your report as a reason to pay you less. Glen Howard knows how the defense side reads these reports because he used to be on that side.
Call (702) 331-5722 or request your free case review. We’ll check your report, your coverage, and whether you have a case. You pay no fee unless we win, and you can ask us anything, even if you’re not sure your crash was “serious enough.”
