A teen driver fatally hit a pedestrian on Northern Boulevard, police said.
A 16-year-old driver hit Sara Perez outside an auto shop on Northern Boulevard on February 17, 2022, at about 4:50 p.m.; the official crash record lists one pedestrian killed.
Approximate reported location.
What We Know
A 16-year-old driver hit Sara Perez outside a Northern Boulevard auto shop, and reports differ on how he came onto the sidewalk. CBS said police described him backing up and accelerating forward; QNS reported a preliminary account in which he drove onto the sidewalk while entering the shop. The official record lists driver inattention or distraction as a contributing factor.
Reports give different accounts of the driver's movements.
CBS reported that police said the 16-year-old was picking up his father's truck from an auto shop, backed up and then accelerated forward, hitting Perez on the sidewalk. CBS also described surveillance video showing the pickup move backward off the sidewalk into the street before moving forward quickly.
QNS reported a preliminary police account that the driver was entering an auto body shop when he drove onto the sidewalk and pinned Perez against a wall. Streetsblog also reported an entry-to-shop account attributed to preliminary information, but said a Daily News video showed the driver backing out and moving forward without steering.
The reported impact was outside a shop on Northern Boulevard.
QNS placed the crash outside 106-15 Northern Boulevard, at Northern Lube and Tire Shop. CBS described the location as near 107th Street in Corona. Both reports placed Perez on the sidewalk outside the shop.
Her cousin remembered her kindness and care for her cats.
QNS identified Perez as an East Elmhurst resident. Her cousin Elvis Perez told CBS, “She was a really nice, sweet, caring girl. She always had a smile on her face. She would always take care of her cats.”
The official record and both QNS reports list Perez as 19. CBS's editor's note says police initially gave her age as 19, but her family told the station she was 18; Streetsblog says the Daily News also reported she was 18.
Reports differ on the pickup's model.
The official record identifies a 2006 Ford pickup. One QNS report calls it a Ford F-10, while another QNS report and Streetsblog identify it as a Ford F-150.
The official record cites driver inattention.
The official crash record lists driver inattention or distraction as a contributing factor. CBS reported that witness Ingrid Martinez said the driver told her his brakes did not work after the truck had been worked on; the report attributes that statement to the driver and does not establish a mechanical failure.
The driver remained at the scene, and no arrest was reported.
CBS and QNS reported that the driver stayed at the scene and was not arrested. QNS said the investigation was ongoing, and Streetsblog reported that he had not been charged at the time.
CBS reported that Perez was pronounced dead at a local hospital. QNS identified the hospital as Elmhurst Hospital Center.