‘Like a nightmare.’ Mom of 10-year-old boy killed in Fresno hit-and-run speaks out
Reyna Murphy looked at a picture of her son, wondering why his life was taken away so abruptly.
A driver is accused by police of entering an intersection late Thursday near Fresno’s Woodward Park and striking 10-year-old Angel Hernandez in the crosswalk.
Most of the family had crossed Friant Road as they headed toward the park, but Murphy’s sister and Angel were still in the street. The mom looked back at a horrifying sight: Her son knocked into the air before coming to rest in the southbound lanes just after 11:30 p.m.
Murphy felt helpless. She said she begged for help.
“It still feels like a nightmare,” Murphy told The Bee on Saturday. Drivers in other passing cars “just watched and didn’t help. Everything was (moving) so slow. Everybody slowed down to watch. I was yelling and screaming for help.”
An officer from the Fresno Police Department arrived and performed CPR. An ambulance took Angel to Valley Children’s Hospital. Murphy’s sister was not struck.
Mom continued to hope for a miracle, any kind of good news, until a doctor entered a hushed waiting room to meet with the family. The doctor told Murphy that her son did not pull through.
“I broke down crying,” she said. “I told him do everything you can to save him and he said, ‘We tried. We’re going to let you see him,’ and they had us waiting five minutes and my family started showing up and they came in.”
The next night, Murphy and other family members were back at the intersection to remember Angel. She arrived about 6 p.m. and remained until 11 p.m. She said she plans to come back every day.
It already had been a tough year for the family. Hernandez’s dad, also named Angel, died Feb. 24, she said, because of a blood infection.
Amid that grief, it was her five children, including young Angel, who gave her comfort and said everything would be OK.
“They stood strong,” Murphy said. “They were more strong for me ... I should’ve been the one there for them and comforting them. Instead it was the other way around. They were comforting me and my son said, ‘Dad is in a better place.’“
.jpg "20190409_183446 (1).jpg")
Murphy, who lives in Fresno, described her son as a “funny, outgoing and loving” and someone who “always made me happy.”
Angel was a big fan of the San Francisco 49ers and Golden State Warriors. He would ask Dad to decorate the Christmas tree in Warriors colors.
“Just a happy boy,” she said. “Did everything to make us smile and laugh. He was always trying to cheer us up. He was goofy and funny.
“He was more of a momma’s boy. He was always with me playing video games, just challenging each other and playing ‘Call of Duty’ on our phones.”
Hit-and-run suspect out on bond
Angel was struck by a Chrysler in the southbound lanes of Friant, police said. It was about 11:36 p.m.
The driver did not stop, according to witnesses, continuing south on Friant.
Police issued a bulletin that included a description of the vehicle Friday. It wasn’t long before a resident of an apartment complex near West and Emerson avenues spotted a car that matched the flyer and called police.
Raymond Jay Celaya, 62, was booked on charges of felony hit and run and vehicular manslaughter. Celaya bonded out Saturday afternoon, according to Fresno County Jail records.
He is expected to be arraigned in the next few days. Celaya has a history of traffic violations dating to 1998, court records show, including citations for speeding, driving on a suspended or revoked license and lacking evidence of current registration.
“He takes off, doesn’t slow down,” Murphy said. “I’m just like how do you keep going knowing you hit something. Why do you keep going? Why was he going so fast to begin with? What was so important to him to be going that fast?
“I knew once he got out of the car, he had to see the damage. The damage was really bad. How do you live with yourself when he was just 10 years old?”
Murphy was told Friday of the arrest. She made a point of saying she wanted to thank the person who notified police about the car.
“Meant a lot to me,” she said. “Took a lot for somebody to recognize the car and to call it in right away. I really appreciate that. It was fast and I want to say thank you to her. I thought it was going to take forever to find this car.”
Memorial in place near Woodward Park
Red and gold balloons and candles are now visible along Friant near the Woodward Park entrance.
On the sidewalk, written in chalk: Expressions of love for Angel that also mention how much he is missed. A stuffed animal, Hot Wheels car and a toy dinosaur also are part of the makeshift memorial.
At Friday’s vigil, friends and family were among at least 100 people who showed up to pay their respects.
.jpg "20210322_151748_HDR (1).jpg")
The principal at Jane Adams Elementary, where Angel went to school, sent along condolences, Murphy said.
Angel enjoyed watching fishing programming on YouTube and shows on Nickelodeon such as “SpongeBob SquarePants” and “he loved his video games.”
Murphy said she will miss the fun times they had. She thought of the boy as her shining light.
“He was my everything,” she said. “He was my world.”
Angel is survived by his mother and his five sisters, grandparents, uncles, aunts and many cousins.
A GoFundMe account has been established for the family.
It’s title: “Help put our Baby Angel to rest.”
This story was originally published June 19, 2021 at 4:45 PM.
