Photo: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images
A driver hit-and-run in South Los Angeles after ramming a family van in a crash that killed a 13-year-old boy and left his 2-year-old brother fighting for his life. Now, his heartbroken family is demanding that the suspect surrender, ABC7 reported.
Jade Amaya-Pineda was on her way to her grandmother’s house Monday morning when tragedy struck.
He was in a car with his mother and two brothers at 111th and Main streets. It was then that a person driving a silver Mercedes ignored a red light while traveling at high speed and crashed into the family van.
The Mercedes caught fire after the crash and the driver fled on foot. No arrests have been made.
Jade’s 13-year-old brother Chris has died and her 2-year-old brother Damian remains on life support at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.
Jade’s mother, Debbie, will be released from the hospital in the next few days.
“I need the guy to turn himself in because it’s not fair what happened to my brother and I miss him every day,” Jade Amaya-Pineda said.
“Damián is still in the same condition, and we just need you to keep sending your prayers,” said Tracey Rodríguez, the children’s aunt. “And we want to thank everyone who has already been praying for us.”
Eyewitness News met the family outside the hospital. They said their lives were changed forever.
They are praying for a miracle for Damian and are struggling to process that 13-year-old Chris is gone.
“He was one of the kids that you knew was going to change the world because his vision of the world was loving,” Rodríguez said. “He was the kid who was going to grow up in a different society, make changes and make sure people didn’t feel left out. And we just lost someone very special.”
Chris’s father told Eyewitness News in Spanish that when Chris died, he lost his best friend, his confidant, and a part of himself.
“Justice is very important because we see many people, especially now after the pandemic, being very reckless when driving, whether it is speeding, running a red light, not checking if people are crossing the street,” Rodríguez said. .
The family organized a candlelight vigil to be held Friday night at the crash site.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family.
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