A 39-year-old man walking along Nimitz Highway was critically injured this morning when a dark SUV jumped the curb and struck him from behind in front of Aloha Tower Marketplace, police said.

Lt. Darren Izumo of Honolulu police's vehicular homicide investigation team said the the SUV, possibly a Cadillac Escalade, was traveling east and had trouble negotiating a curve on Nimitz before it ran the curb and hit the pedestrian at about 2:10 a.m.

Witnesses said the SUV driver stopped momentarily, but made no effort to aid the injured pedestrian and then drove off toward Waikiki, Izumo said.

The man, whom police said is from the Honolulu area, was taken to The Queen's Medical Center in critical condition, said Bryan Cheplic, spokesman for the city Emergency Services Department.

Police said the man suffered head and internal injuries.

The injured man remained in critical condition as of about 7 this morning, police said.

The vehicle involved in the crash had not been located as of this morning.

Police are asking the public's help in finding what they believe is a late-model, black Cadillac Escalade with tinted windows and low-profile tires.

The right front rim may have been damaged when the SUV hit the curb and it may have hood, fender and windshield damage from colliding with the pedestrian, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the vehicular homicide section at 529-3499.

Several lanes at the accident site on Nimitz were closed while police conducted their investigation but were reopened before 6 a.m.