Police were called to reports of a crash between a vehicle and a pedestrian near a cycle path off Momples Road, at around 5.30pm on Saturday.
It was reported the vehicle, a silver Mitsubishi, had left the road before hitting a man and driving away.
Despite the best efforts of responding paramedics and officers, the man, aged in his 20s, from London, was pronounced dead at the scene.
His family have been informed and are being supported.
A short time later, this vehicle was found abandoned and on fire at a nearby underpass at the Clock Tower Roundabout.
With the help of firefighters, the fire was extinguished and this vehicle has been forensically seized.
Essex Police are investigating the possibility that this incident is linked to the theft of a black Ford Fiesta in nearby Pennymead, Harlow, reported earlier that day at around 4pm.
This Fiesta was later found abandoned in the Churchfied area of Harlow and has also been seized.
A cordon remains in place around the crash scene.
No arrests have been made at this stage, but inquiries are continuing at pace as officers look to establish the circumstances of this incident.
Detective Inspector Alison Hooper, who is leading our investigation, said: “At the centre of this incident is a person who has lost their life in terrible circumstances.
“We are supporting a grieving family.
“I have a dedicated team working hard to establish the sequence of events which led to this fatal collision and this investigation is making progress.
“We’re particularly keen to hear from anyone who may have seen the vehicles in question in the Harlow area in the hours leading up to this collision.
“I appreciate this is a very serious incident which will cause concern in Harlow, but I’d ask that the public refrain from any unhelpful speculation which could cause further upset.
“We will continue to update on the progress of our investigation.
“For now I would urge anyone with information which could assist us to please come forward.”
Essex Police have set up a dedicated public portal for people to get in touch, and urge residents to use this site to provide information quickly: mipp.police.uk/operation/4201020125R42-PO2
To make an anonymous report contact independent charity Crimestoppers, by visiting crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling 0800 555 111.
