The cofounder of Uber's self-driving car project is reportedly leaving the company after the fatal crash

Gene J. Puskar / AP

Lion Ron, the cofounder of Uber's self-driving car project, is leaving the company, according to a new report from CNBC citing an unnamed source.

The alleged departure comes in the wake of a fatal crash involving one of its self-driving cars - believed to be the first time an autonomous vehicle has killed a pedestrian.

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Since then, there has been heightened scrutiny of the safety track record of the self-driving car unit, and questions have been raised over whether the vehicle's sensors should have been able to detect and avoid the pedestrian.

Lior Ron left Google to cofound Otto - a self-driving trucking startup - in 2016, which was acquired by Uber.

It's not immediately clear whether Ron's reported departure is directly related to the death.

An Uber spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This story is developing...