Chicago police have located the truck that struck and killed a toddler Monday in the Albany Park neighborhood, but the driver remains at-large as family plead with them to come forward.
According to police, they were able to locate the truck responsible for the hit-and-run on Tuesday, just 24 hours after it fatally struck and killed Hermes Cardona-Rios.
As the driver remains on the loose, a memorial for the toddler has sprung up near a tree at the intersection of Wilson and Pulaski, and family gathered for an emotional vigil on Tuesday night.
“He pretty much was a mother’s boy. He loved to be up under his mother,” Khalid Jordan, Hermes’ uncle, said.
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Hermes’ parents are also speaking out after their tragic loss.
“I never wanted this for my kid, and I don’t want this for any other little kid,” Gerardo Cardona said.
According to police, Hermes was with his family at approximately 1:30 p.m. Monday when he was able to get out of the backseat of an SUV.
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He ran out into the street, and was struck by a truck, which then left the scene.
Gerardo says that his son was a happy child who loved life and who loved to play with his three siblings.
“Anybody that could see him in the street or the park, you could tell there was never a sad day for him, even if it was raining, he would be out there getting wet and playing,” he said.
The Cardona’s are still pleading with the driver to turn themselves in as they start to process their grief.
“Please, turn yourself in,” Gerardo said.
