Girl, 11, victim of hit-and-run speaks out: 'I can't believe somebody would just leave me on the street'
The Brief
A young girl has broken bones and missing teeth from a hit-and-run.
The family says police are looking for a black Jeep Cherokee with tinted windows.
The incident happened Wednesday afternoon after school.
PHILADELPHIA - A Philadelphia family is shaken after their 11-year-old was hit by a car in Juniata Park and the driver kept going. The young girl lost three teeth and suffered broken bones in her face.
What we know
Police say it happened Wednesday just after 4 p.m.
Nylah Johnson Riley recalls crossing the street from near Dunkin to catch the number three bus waiting for her on the other side. It happened in the area of Kensington Avenue, Torresdale and Erie.
She says a car she did not initially see came from around the bus and hit her.
The family says police tell them they are looking for a black Jeep Cherokee with tinted windows and that a SEPTA bus camera may have captured the license plate.
What they're saying
"I just can't believe that," cried 11-year-old Nylah Johnson-Riley. "I can't believe somebody would just do that to me and just leave me on the street like that," she cried talking about a driver who hit her and kept going.
"I couldn't believe that happened to me. Yesterday was the most scariest day of my life," she said from her home after doctors discharged her from St. Christopher's Hospital for Children Thursday evening.
"My swelling is going down now and my bruises, like my arm, is still hurting," she said.
Nylah's mother and grandmother are equally devastated over what happened.
"She told my mom she thought she was dead. Knowing that she was experiencing that and you were just evil enough to leave her in the street," cried her mother, Jabria Johnson.
"My heart dropped. My heart dropped," cried her grandmother Desiree Riley. "Just left her. How do you hit a kid and just leave her? She was so scared."
Traumatic injuries
Nylah lost three front teeth, has multiple broken bones on her face and nose and a bruised arm bone. Next Wednesday she will have the first of many surgeries to come.
"You can't say you didn't see her when she flew. Look at my baby's face. She gotta experience this and look at herself," said her mother.
"I wanted to speak today so that I could show awareness and so people could find the person that did this to me," said Nylah.
The Source
Information for this article was provided by the Philadelphia Police Department and the victim's family.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Girl, 11, victim of hit-and-run speaks out: 'I can't believe somebody would just leave me on the street'
The Brief A young girl has broken bones and missing teeth from a hit-and-run. The family says police are looking for a black Jeep Cherokee with tinted windows. The incident happened Wednesday afternoon after school. PHILADELPHIA - A Philadelphia family is shaken after their 11-year-old was hit by a car in Juniata Park and the driver kept going. The young girl lost three teeth and suffered broken bones in her face. What we know Police say it happened Wednesday just after 4 p.m. Nylah Johnson Riley recalls crossing the street from near Dunkin to catch the number three bus waiting for her on the other side. It happened in the area of Kensington Avenue, Torresdale and Erie. She says a car she did not initially see came from around the bus and hit her. The family says police tell them they are looking for a black Jeep Cherokee with tinted windows and that a SEPTA bus camera may have captured the license plate. What they're saying "I just can't believe that," cried 11-year-old Nylah Johnson-Riley. "I can't believe somebody would just do that to me and just leave me on the street like that," she cried talking about a driver who hit her and kept going. "I couldn't believe that happened to me. Yesterday was the most scariest day of my life," she said from her home after doctors discharged her from St. Christopher's Hospital for Children Thursday evening. "My swelling is going down now and my bruises, like my arm, is still hurting," she said. Nylah's mother and grandmother are equally devastated over what happened. "She told my mom she thought she was dead. Knowing that she was experiencing that and you were just evil enough to leave her in the street," cried her mother, Jabria Johnson. "My heart dropped. My heart dropped," cried her grandmother Desiree Riley. "Just left her. How do you hit a kid and just leave her? She was so scared." Traumatic injuries Nylah lost three front teeth, has multiple broken bones on her face and nose and a bruised arm bone. Next Wednesday she will have the first of many surgeries to come. "You can't say you didn't see her when she flew. Look at my baby's face. She gotta experience this and look at herself," said her mother. "I wanted to speak today so that I could show awareness and so people could find the person that did this to me," said Nylah. The Source Information for this article was provided by the Philadelphia Police Department and the victim's family.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Summer festivities continue at Fairmount Park despite recent deadly mass shooting
The Brief Parks on Tap, a traveling beer garden throughout Philadelphia's neighborhoods, will be in Lemon Hill May 28–June 1. This comes just days after a mass shooting occurred in the Lemon Hill area on Memorial Day, leaving two killed and nine others injured. PHILADELPHIA - Days after a tragic shooting during a Memorial Day party in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia residents are returning to the park to enjoy summer festivities. Despite the violence, the community is determined to focus on positive experiences and continue celebrating in the city. The backstory Officers from the Philadelphia Police Department were called to the 800 block of Lemon Hill Drive around 10:30 p.m. for reports of a shooting. Police reported that two people were killed, and nine others were injured when nearly two dozen shots erupted at a Memorial Day gathering. Amya Devlin, 23, and Mikhail Bowers, 21, were identified as the two people that were killed in the shooting. Six of the nine shooting victims were teenagers, according to police, including a 15-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl. All of those injured are in stable condition. Investigators at the scene Monday night were able to find 21 shell casings and after further searches early Tuesday morning, they found about a dozen more. What's New Philadelphia police have confirmed that five different guns were used in the shooting at Lemon Hill in Fairmount Park, initially believed to involve three shooters. The incident left crime scene tape marking the area, but the community is moving forward with events like Parks on Tap at the mansion, just steps away from where the shooting occurred. What they're saying Emily Della Rosa, attending with her newborn daughter Audrey, expressed confidence in the safety of the event: "I would never bring my daughter to something where I didn't feel perfectly safe." Dailey Delia, a Parks on Tap patron, acknowledged the city's violence but emphasized resilience: "Obviously there's a lot of violence throughout the city, all kinds of neighborhoods, and I think it's part of city living that you just sort of accept that risk and keep pushing on." Danielle Kudlacik shared her initial hesitation but decided to attend: "I did think about it. And I was like, hmmmm, I don't know if we should switch, but I didn't hear anything differently, so I was like, OK, I bet you if I still go out. If they haven't announced we're not doing it, then we're probably still fine to come out here." Alison Mesko appreciated the community's spirit: "Obviously it's horrible that it happened, but I'm glad that people are still out enjoying the night and that we're still able to get together." Jimmy Segilia highlighted the importance of continuing events: "You're living in a city, things are gonna happen sometimes, but it's bad when you see a couple of bad apples kind of ruin it for everyone else. I think it's important that they're still doing this event and know that it's a safe area, so I felt OK coming today." Local Perspective Philadelphia police presence added a sense of security as families enjoyed food and draft beers. Gary Kiefer, organizer of It's Better Outdoors, noted, "I know some people from my group were probably a little hesitant to come back out, but as of this morning, we still had about 50 people coming out tonight. It's horrible, obviously, but we're still gonna come out here because it's a cool spot." Rob Fumanti, a member of It's Better Outdoors, appreciated the park's appeal: "It's awesome, good view, it's nice, great weather, so no last thing is gonna keep you away from this exactly, yeah." Erin Dunkel echoed the sentiment: "I figured it's gonna be just something from that holiday weekend, and this is a beautiful park, so why not take advantage of it." Emily Della Rosa concluded with a focus on positivity: "You have to focus on the positive things in life, like having great coworkers and having a good time together. That's what it's all about."
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Parents face neglect, manslaughter charges after 7-year-old son hit and killed by car
The parents of a 7-year-old boy who was hit and killed while crossing a busy Gastonia street were arrested on Thursday. Jessica Ivey Jenkins, 30, and Sameule Jenkins, 31, were charged with felony involuntary manslaughter, felony child neglect and misdemeanor child neglect in the death of their son, Legend, according to Gastonia Police. Legend, a second grader at H.H. Beam Elementary School, was struck and killed by a Jeep Cherokee driven by a 76-year-old woman about 6 p.m. Tuesday while he was attempting to cross West Hudson Boulevard, near the Gaston County Health Department. Legend was with his 10-year-old brother at the time he was killed. Jessica Ivey Jenkins said in an earlier interview that she had been shopping at Food Lion, and she allowed Legend and his older brother to walk from the grocery store to their home, which is nearby. It was the first time she had let her children cross that street alone. "While the Gastonia Police Department offers its deepest sympathies to the family for the heartbreaking loss of their child, the investigation revealed that the children involved were unsupervised at the time the boy stepped into traffic. In such cases, adults must be held accountable for their responsibilities to ensure a safe environment for their children," the police department said in a press release. "At this time, there is no evidence of speeding or wrongdoing on the part of the driver, therefore no charges have been filed." Both parents are being held without bond. This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Parents of 7-year-old boy charged in fatal wreck
