Balloons and candles floated into the night sky Tuesday evening in honor of two teen girls and a young man who were killed two months ago during a crash in Northeast Philadelphia.
Loved ones gathered at Pleasant Hill Park in Northeast Philly around 6:30 p.m. in honor of 17-year-old Sabrina Rhoads, 17-year-old Yvette Gonzalez and 20-year-old Felipe Hernandez. It was a reminder of the lives lost and a pain that still lingers as the drivers who allegedly fled the scene moments after the crash still have not been charged.
"This is to let everybody know that our voices for them are not going to stay quiet," said Felipe's aunt Lorraine Hernandez during Tuesday's vigil. "We want justice. Something has to be done."
On July 29, Rhoads, Gonzalez, Hernandez and 17-year-old Bagdon Arutyunov were passengers in a 2007 Acura driven by a 20-year-old man. The car was traveling more than 75 mph on Sandmeyer Lane near Red Lion Road when the driver lost control and struck a tree, splitting the vehicle in two, police said.
Rhoads, who would have started her senior year at George Washington High School in September, Gonzalez and Hernandez all died at the scene. Arutyunov, who was ejected from the car and suffered severe head trauma, was taken to Jefferson University Hospital where he remains two months later.
The driver of the car later showed up at Albert Einstein Medical Center hours after the crash. Police say he has cooperated with the investigation.
Surveillance video captured the driver appearing to race another car, described as a dark blue or black BMW, moments before the crash, police said. The BMW never stopped, according to investigators.
No arrests have been made. Police continue to investigate.
Anyone with information in the fatal crash should call the Accident Investigation Division at 215-685-3180.
A GoFundMe.com account was created for the victims.
