A 22-year-old man has been arrested for murder in connection with a fatal hit-and-run crash that killed a 15-year-old father-to-be over the weekend in the San Fernando Valley, leaving his family devastated.
The deadly crash occurred on Dec. 16 around 11:15 p.m. at Strathern Street east of Craner Avenue in Sun Valley, according to a news release from the Los Angeles Police Department.
Authorities said North Hills resident Joseph Delgado was driving recklessly at a high rate of speed in a silver 2007 Cadillac SUV when he lost control and hit several parked vehicles and a victim walking in the roadway.
Debris from the violent crash also struck a pedestrian who was walking on the sidewalk.
“The driver and sole occupant of the Cadillac exited his vehicle momentarily then fled the scene on foot eastbound on Strathern Street, failing to identify himself or render aid as required by law,” the release noted.
Family members identified the victim struck in the roadway as Carlos Alberto Pech.
The teen, who was expecting a child with his girlfriend, was rushed to the hospital by paramedics with the Los Angeles Fire Department where he later died.
Pech’s mother, Christine Hernandez, who lives nearby, heard the crash as it happened and rushed outside into the chaos of the scene. As police were trying to control the situation, they detained several family members, including Hernandez who said she was hysterical.
“The cops arrested me for 30 minutes,” the grief-stricken mother told KTLA’s Carlos Saucedo. “What parent would not be hysterical for their child? I told the cops, ‘My son is dying, help me because my son is dying.'”
Family members, some of whom organized a GoFundMe to help amid this tragedy, remembered the teen as a fun, lovable person who was always there to help out his friends and those closest to him.
A vigil for Pech was held tonight at the site of the crash where a memorial with flowers and candles was set up.
Authorities say the other victim of the crash was treated for moderate injuries and is expected to survive.
Delgado was booked at the Van Nuys jail, police said.