8-year-old dies in hit-and-run walking with friends after playing ball, AZ family says
An 8-year-old boy was walking with friends after playing basketball at a neighboring apartment when he was fatally struck by a truck, according to his family. Arizona police say they are still searching for the driver.
Jerel Glenn was found in the road with critical injuries after he was struck by a lifted truck on Saturday, Feb. 11, according to a news release from the Phoenix Police Department. Firefighters took Glenn to a local hospital where he died.
The truck — described as a maroon or faded red four-door pickup truck with a chrome strip — left after hitting Jerel, police said. It was last seen driving north on 67th Avenue.
Jerel’s mother, Jessica Ervin, said her son was walking back from the apartment complex next door when he was hit, according to a GoFundMe started by the family. Jerel and his friends had gone to the complex to use the playground and basketball court.
Jessica Ervin said her son was talking with his friends when he stumbled off the curb and into the street. That’s when he was hit from behind, she said.
“I got a phone call saying that he had got struck by a truck, and he was laying in the dirt and the ambulance was taking him to Phoenix Children’s Hospital,” Jessica Ervin said in an interview with KSAZ. Minutes after arriving at the hospital, she was told her son had died.
Jessica Ervin did not immediately return McClatchy News’ request for comment on Feb. 14.
Nicole Rubalcaba, a driver who saw the crash happen, said she got out of her car to help Jerel, according to KNXV.
“I laid right next to him, I sat there and I tried to speak with him,” Rubalcaba told the outlet. “I felt like he needed a mom in that moment even if it was just a stranger on the street.”
“For somebody to just drive off knowing they did this to a baby is really painful,” Jessica Ervin told KTVK. “I fear for everybody’s safety with this person.”
Jerel’s family remembers him as “a good kid, great kid, smart kid,” his stepfather told KSAZ.
“He’s my special grandson,” Jerel’s grandfather, Roderick Ervin, told KTVK. “He’s one of greatest grandkids you could ever have.”
“No parent should have to bury or cremate their child, and that’s where we are at right now,” Jessica Ervin told the outlet.
The family and police are asking for anyone with information about the truck or its driver to come forward.
“How could you leave a baby dead in the street?” Jerel’s grandmother, Michelle Gallon, told KNXV. “I want someone to know the truck and have the courage to come forward.”
“Just turn yourself in, and I just want an apology. You can’t bring back my son. I just want you to be careful of kids and take precaution,” Jessica Ervin told KSAZ.
Police are asking anyone with information about the hit-and-run crash to call the department at 480-WITNESS.
This story was originally published February 14, 2023 at 12:21 PM with the headline "8-year-old dies in hit-and-run walking with friends after playing ball, AZ family says."
