A 16-year-old boy who had just left a church youth group meeting was fatally struck by a hit-and-run driver in south LA last night. According to the LAPD, Nathaniel Mota "was in a marked crosswalk on Normandie Avenue between 42nd and 43rd streets" when he was hit at 8:20 p.m.
The teen had left St. Cecilia Church and was crossing the street to meet up with his family. St. Cecilia Pastor Jorge Ochoa told NBC Los Angeles the street is dangerous, "We've been urging authorities to have something like signs or lights, especially at night, to prevent something like this. One of our kids was ready to go to college with dreams, and his family is destroyed right now."
There's no description of the driver, who had been traveling north on Normandie, but it's believed he was driving a white late-model Nissan or Honda with damage to the front end on the driver’s side.
Nathaniel would have turned 17 on Wednesday. His cousin said to KABC, "He was always there to help, always caring. He had the best hugs...that you just can't describe. And unfortunately, in a heartbeat, it's gone."
