How shrewd Reddit user helped solve fatal hit-and-run from just this photo

An eagle-eyed Reddit user has helped police make an arrest after a hit-and-run claimed the life of a cyclist.

Susan Rainwater, 63, was riding her bike along a stretch of road in Eatonville, Washington, when she was struck and killed by a vehicle travelling behind her.

As investigators tried to piece together what happened and who was responsible, a spokesperson for the Washington State Patrol took to Twitter asking for anyone with information to come forward.

The post included an image of Ms Rainwater’s mangled bike and a small piece metal that was recovered at the scene.

The image eventually made its way onto the sub-Reddit, ‘What Is This Thing?’, where hundreds of users began speculating as to what it was.

But it was a former vehicle inspector by the name of Jeff who was able to accurately identify the mysterious object as a section of a Chevy Silverado headlamp bezel.

It eventually led to the arrest of Jeremy Simon, a 37-year-old man from the nearby town of Roy, who admitted to striking Ms Rainwater.

Upon announcing the arrest, the Washington State Police credited Reddit users for successfully identifying the broken car part.

Both Twitter and Reddit users began praising Jeff for helping solve the crime, while expressing their disbelief at his ability to identify the make and model of car with so little information.

“Great job /u/JeffsNuts – doubtless there’s a family out there that’s grateful for your work bringing closure to this,” one Reddit user commented.

“You deserve a medal for this,” another wrote.