Body found in burning car may victim of earlier North Philly shooting

Police are trying to determine whether a body found in a burning car in north Philadelphia is related to a shooting earlier in the day a few blocks away.

Authorities said the body was found after the vehicle was found ablaze in the Olney section of the city just before 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Chief Inspector Scott Small said the victim was burned beyond recognition, and investigators can’t tell the age or race of the victim.

But witnesses told police that a man had been shot in the head in the passenger seat of a car nearby four hours earlier, and the driver sped away with the victim.

The city medical examiner’s office will try to identify the victim. Police are collecting evidence from the car and checking nearby surveillance cameras.