A 6-year-old boy was fatally struck by a vehicle last week on northbound Interstate 280 in San Jose, the California Highway Patrol said Monday.
The CHP office in San Jose said that around 10:55 p.m. Friday, patrol officers were alerted to a crash involving a vehicle and a pedestrian.
Based on a preliminary investigation, the boy, later identified as King Holguin of San Jose, was on the right shoulder of northbound I-280, south of Leland Avenue, near San Jose City College. The boy reportedly ran into one of the lanes of the freeway, where he was struck by a 2024 Nissan Altima that was being driven by a 36-year-old man from San Jose.
King suffered severe injuries and was sent to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
According to the CHP, the freeway's northbound lanes in the area were closed for nearly an hour after the fatal crash.
Family members of King spoke to NBC Bay Area on Monday night as they lit candles on Parkmoor Avenue, right near the entrance to I-280.
King's parents were too distraught to talk on Monday but other family members and friends were remembering him as "energetic and very loving."
Local
“We want to keep his memory alive. He had a long, long life ahead of him, such a tragedy,” said Rosie Rodriguez, a family friend.
Rodriguez is best friends with King’s mom and she considered him her own nephew. Loved ones said the family lives in an apartment complex near the highway.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. >Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
“He was a very energetic kid. He loved playing," said Lydia, King’s aunt. "He had autism, he was nonverbal, he would communicate with tablets and like other stuff."
At King’s memorial, there were toys, flowers, snacks and photos that showed him with a big smile on his face.
“He was a very loving kid," Lydia said. "He loved playing, he was very fast. If you were trying to catch him, you probably couldn't get him. That was King for you.”
An online fundraiser was set up for the family. King was going to turn 7 years old in two weeks.
The fundraiser read “King is now resting in heaven with his grandmother who will take the best care of him.”
"Since this morning, there's been a lot of support," Lydia said. "It just keeps going up and up and up and I hope when the funeral does come, we will have all the money to lay him.”
The crash is under investigation.
