Families, Neighbors Mourning Loss Of 8-Year-Old Jashanty Cole, 65-Year-Old Yuniang Cong After Deadly Car Accident In Queens
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Two families are mourning the loss of loved ones, including the family of an 8-year-old girl.
Both victims were killed when a vehicle jumped the curb in Queens on Friday.
Eight-year-old Jashanty Cole's photo joins flowers, stuffed animals and balloons on the porch of her family's home in Springfield Gardens.
Her siblings were among those who witnessed tragedy, striking as they shopped for gifts for her brother's Halloween birthday.
"Stick together. What else can we do?" said Phylecia Harris, Jashanty's legal guardian.
Harris was also there when the vehicle jumped the curb of Jamaica Avenue near 164th Street on Friday, barreling onto the sidewalk and killing Jashanty and 65-year-old Yuniang Cong, who was passing by.
MORE -- Police: 8-Year-Old Girl, 65-Year-Old Woman Dead After Being Struck By Vehicle In Queens
Harris says Jashanty was in the third grade and enjoyed gymnastics and fashion.
"Everybody knew her. She's a well-behaved child," Harris told CBS2's Dave Carlin.
"Everybody was crying, you know. I mean, people that didn't even know, people in the stores, there wasn't a dry eye," Jamaica resident Hakim Hanton said.
Hanton is a vendor who says he narrowly missed being struck by the vehicle, that a barrier saved him.
"When it hit this pole here, it stopped the vehicle," he said.
Jashanty attended Public School 45 Clarence Witherspoon school located a few short blocks from her home.
"Likes school, everything, yes," Harris said. "Likes to have fun."
"An 8-year-old hasn't seen much of life, you know what I'm saying, and she's been taken away at such an early age," Jamaica resident Brenda Williams said.
Williams lived in the same Jamaica apartment building as the older victim, Cong. She said the two would swap recipes when they got together.
She believes the city is growing ever more dangerous on streets and on sidewalks.
"It seems like it's happening more and more every day," Williams said.
Police are investigating the cause of the crash.
The 47-year-old driver, who remained on the scene, told officers she lost control of the SUV.
No charges have been filed at this time.
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