14-year-old boy dies after two hit-and-run drivers strike him


A 14-year-old boy was struck and killed by a tow truck while riding his bike in his neighborhood just after midnight Friday.

KTLA reported that Jonathan Hernandez was riding his bike near the intersection of Telegraph Road and Saticoy Avenue in Ventura, California, when a white tow truck struck and killed him.

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A release from the Ventura Police Department said the tow truck was driving through a green light when it hit Hernandez, who was in the intersection.

The driver did not stop.

"A short time later, a second vehicle is observed hitting the victim, who is lying in the roadway," the statement continued in an update.

The second vehicle was described by police as "a silver or light colored sport utility vehicle."

The loss is especially painful for the family.

“The family is suffering greatly, especially with this hanging over their head now that nobody stopped for this 14-year-old boy,” said Samuel Howard, a pastor.

Howard added that that Thursday would have been his older sister Meriah's 18th birthday.

She died of leukemia in October.

Thursday was difficult for Hernandez.

“He left the house to clear his mind, just to get away over what happened and only made it – not even three minutes from the house,” Howard said.

The tow truck driver who struck and killed Hernandez came forward Friday evening.

Fifty-year-old Martin Henderson is the owner and operator of Double R Towing.

The towing company is one of several that has a contract with Ventura.

"Investigators took possession of the tow truck and, after preliminary investigation, believe it to be the flatbed tow vehicle that was involved in the first collision with the victim," police said.

The second driver has not come forward.

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