ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — A hit-and-run investigation underway in St. Johns County with a teenage boy now fighting for his life in the hospital.
“My thoughts are with them, prayers, and it’s just terrible… just terrible,” Andres Hernandez – the man who called 911 – told Action News Jax Friday morning.
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According to the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, it all began at 6:45 a.m. Friday morning when someone driving down Palatka Boulevard found that 14-year-old boy down on the side of the road with severe injuries.
At that point, Hernandez called 911 and investigators quickly discovered the boy had been there alone without medical attention for at least 45 minutes. He had been hit while walking to the bus stop for school.
Investigators say there’s no description of the suspect vehicle at this time, but it very likely has front bumper and headlight damage.
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“I get the fear or whatever, of the consequences, but c’mon you need to … you need to be a human being first and stay here and assist,” said Hernandez.
Hernandez told Action News Jax it’s not unusual for drivers to come flying down Palatka Boulevard, which has no streetlights in a rural community.
“Sometimes they’re doing donuts in the back, you can hear them, and most of the times it’s just speeding up and down this road,” Hernandez described.
However, investigators say it’s too early to tell if speed was a factor.
Police are asking anybody who lives along Palatka Boulevard with exterior surveillance cameras, ring cameras or dash cams to look through that footage immediately and contact police at 904-209-1544. You can also leave an anonymous report at 1-888-277-8477.
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