Security video captures moment child is hit by pickup truck in Queens. (New York Daily News Exclusive)
The grief-stricken family of a 5-year-old boy killed by a hit-and-run driver reeled from the shock of his death as police continued to work on making an arrest.
Jonathan Martinez was crossing100th St. near McIntosh St. in East Elmhurst with his father and two siblings on Thursday evening, when the driver of a Dodge Ram plowed into them without stopping, video of the crash viewed by the Daily News shows.
“He just didn’t stop. What did a child do to deserve this?,” the boy’s cousin Adan Arellno, 26, said on Friday.
The video shows the pickup truck making a looping left turn as the family crosses the street. The truck slams into Jonathan and keeps going.
As his two other sons sprint to safety, Jonathan’s father Richard Martinez is seen yelling and briefly going after the truck. Moments later, he returns to his son’s still body, picks up the child, cradles him and carries him back to the sidewalk. They were just two blocks from home.
“His parents are distraught. [The mom] can’t even speak. It’s not a matter of if he didn’t see them, you need to see the children crossing. There’s a video of the car, but you can’t see the plates clearly,” Arellno said.
Security video captures moment child is hit by pickup truck in Queens.
Police were in the neighborhood on Friday, pulling over drivers who ran stop signs. But it seemed too little, too late for some in the community.
“There’s no crosswalk, no bumps. We’ve been here over 20 years, there’s a lot of kids in the evening walking to the park,” neighbor Bryan Morales, 30, said.
The intersection was recently repaved and lacks painted crosswalks and a stop sign in the spot where the driver began his fatal turn.
NYPD Highway Patrol investigates the scene after Jonathan Martinez, 5, was fatally struck by a pick up truck on 100th St. and McIntosh St. in Queens on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022. (Gardiner Anderson/for New York Daily News)
“He [ the truck driver] was parked down the block earlier in the day, and we keep eyes on the cars around here because we live here,” Morales said.
A patch of blood remained in the street where Jonathan was hit, and a small memorial of candles with a photo of the boy was set up nearby.
Police sources said Thursday night that the driver had been identified and they were trying to get him to turn himself in. No arrest had been made as of Friday evening.
Security video captures moment child is hit by pickup truck in Queens.
Meanwhile, people continue to contribute to an online fundraising account in the boy’s memory, accompanied by a beaming school picture of the youth.
“Jonathan was the sweetest and brightest boy. He was only five years old. He loved singing and dancing and worshiping the lord,” wrote organizer Cynthia Calle. “He loved all Spider-Man and car toys. His best friends were his brother Joel, Joshua and his sister Joanna. He adored his parents.
“Jonathan was excited for school that he had everything ready. He was always laughing and smiling. His personality lightened up the whole room and filled all of our hearts. His family, friends and church will forever miss Jonathan.”
Copyright © 2022, New York Daily News
Copyright © 2022, New York Daily News