QUEENS — An Elmhurst father with a young son was killed in a hit-and-run crash early Wednesday morning after celebrating Christmas Eve with his family, police and relatives said.
Enrique Clemente-Ovando, 29, of Elmhurst, was struck by a car as he crossed Astoria Boulevard near 104th Street about 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, police said.
Paramedics found him bruised and unconscious. He was taken to Elmhurst Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said
Clemente-Ovando had moved to Queens from Puebla, Mexico about eight years ago with his wife. The two had a 4-year-old boy, family members said.
"He was a good father, a hard worker," said his wife, Alberta Castaño, speaking tearfully in Spanish.
Clemente-Ovando worked as a dishwasher in an Ecuadorian restaurant on Northern Boulevard, said his brother, Javier Clemente.
"He was quiet," Clemente said. "He liked to watch, see everything."
Clemente-Ovando had been at a Christmas Eve gathering with his family Tuesday night, Castaño said. It was not immediately clear when he left the party.
After the crash, the vehicle that hit Clemente-Ovando fled eastbound, police officials said, noting that it may have been a beige Toyota Camry with Pennsylvania plates. The investigation was ongoing as of Wednesday afternoon.
