After hit-and-run driver kills Nutley, N.J. man on Valentine's Day, family makes anguished plea
NUTLEY, N.J. - A New Jersey family is heartbroken after a 22-year-old was struck and killed, and the driver just kept on going.
The crash happened on Valentine's Day in Nutley, N.J.
The family want answers.
"I just want my son back," Ana Najera said, crying.
Najera was left heartbroken after her son Wiston Perlaza was killed on Valentine's Day.
"Whoever did this, turn yourself [in]. Please," Najera said.
"He had a big heart. A big heart. Everyone loved him. He had a big heart. They took his life too soon," Wiston's sister Natalie Perlaza said through tears.
A bouquet of flowers was left at the scene in Nutley.
Investigators say the driver, who fled the scene, struck Wiston Perlaza on Milton Avenue near a Garden State Parkway overpass.
"He was only 22. He was going to be 23 on Monday. He had so much ahead of him," Natalie Perlaza said.
Perlaza's mother and siblings said he was hanging out with a female friend when the tragedy happened.
"We just want justice, and the person who did it, turn yourself in," his brother Erick Perlaza said.
Neighbors said they didn't see a vehicle.
The family is now trying to come up with money for his funeral. They say there has been an outpouring of support for Perlaza, a mechanic, who was nicknamed "Bebe" because he was the baby of the family.
"Anything helps," Erick Perlaza said. "I appreciate everything. I appreciate all the words and all the messages, but it's not bringing him back."
"Take responsibility for your actions, because your loved one could have been in that position," Natalie Perlaza said, sobbing.
Family members said they want to honor the 22-year-old, and are planning a candlelight vigil for this weekend, and then his funeral.
Authorities are asking anyone with information to contact the Essex County tip line at 1-877-TIPS-4EC or 1-877-847-7432. All calls will be kept confidential.
