CORONA — A 17-year-old boy was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver late Tuesday as he was in a crosswalk, police said.
Ovidio Jaramillo, of East Elmhurst, was crossing the street in the walkway at Junction and Northern boulevards at 10:50 p.m. when the driver of a black Toyota Camry struck him, according to the NYPD.
The driver didn't stop, continuing west on Northern Boulevard, police said.
Jaramillo was taken to Elmhurst Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. The NYPD's Collision Investigation Squad is investigating the crash.
Jaramillo was a junior at St. John's Prep in Astoria, where school officials described him as a "wonderful, wonderful young man."
"He was a conscientious student, very sensitive," Vice Principal Maureen Flood said. "He had a beautiful smile, so good. It came from within, his goodness."
School was closed Tuesday for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and many students returned Wednesday to news of Jaramillo's death.
The school held a mass Wednesday afternoon for Jaramillo and canceled all activities, according to its website.
Assistant Principal Maria Johnson said the 17-year-old loved sports and music, and was also a DJ.
"He would help any student or teacher out," she said.
Catherine Aponte, 22, was Jaramillo's neighbor and got to know him as his tutor when he was in the seventh grade.
"He was amazing, smart," she said. He was an only child and particularly close with his grandmother, she said.
"She always made sure he was OK, so protective of him."
Northern Boulevard has been targeted by the city for changes in its Vision Zero program after multiple fatalities along the stretch.
Olvin Jahir Figueroa, 3, was crossing Junction Boulevard with his mother, 23, near Northern Boulevard, when he was run over by Gilbert Echeverria, 35, police said.
Echeverria was charged with vehicular manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and driving while intoxicated, police said.
Later that year third-grader Noshat Nahian was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer on Northern Boulevard and 61st Street in Woodside while in the crosswalk on his way to school.
The city added pedestrian medians after Noshat's death.
Northern Boulevard became an "arterial slow zone" — which lowered the speed limit from 30 to 25 mph on a 4.2-mile stretch of Northern Boulevard between 40th Road and 114th Street — in May 2014.
Local elected officials and safety advocates planned a rally Thursday morning at the site of the crash to push for more safety measures.
CORRECTION: DNAinfo has corrected the name of the victim after using the previous identification from the NYPD, which was incorrect.
