A man is being sought in a crash that left a 4-year-old boy dead this month in Boston’s Hyde Park neighborhood, police said Monday.
Olguens Joseph is wanted on charges of negligent vehicle homicide, leaving the scene of a personal injury and death and the operation of an unregistered/uninsured vehicle.
The boy was struck by a car on Tuesday, July 18 at about 9:30 pm on Wood Avenue. He was taken to a hospital, where he died, police say.
Police have not released the boy’s name, but family member Heroldy Limage has identified the victim as his 4-year-old nephew, Ivan Pierre.
After the accident, police said they were looking for a dark gray subcompact SUV seen driving onto Cummins Highway. They later said it was believed to be a gray Chevrolet Spark from between 2016 and 2022.
Anyone with information about the accident is asked to call the Boston Police Department’s homicide unit at 617-343-4470. Anonymous tips can also be left by calling 1-800-494-TIPS or texting the word “TIP” to 27463.
Limage told NBC10 Boston that the family was together the night of the accident and getting ready to go out to look at a car Ivan’s mother had just bought when they heard the crash.
“Honestly, if you see this, turn yourself in,” Limage said. “The least you could have done is stop and check on the child. That was too much for you. Help us by ending this suffering. Surrender to the police and let them do their job.”
Immediately after the accident, an off-duty firefighter who was in the area provided first aid to the child.
“It’s absolutely devastating to think about what happened in a split second,” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said at a news conference after the accident. “I am also very appreciative that a member of our Boston Fire Department immediately stopped off duty and did their best to try and render first aid until emergency services and other first responders arrived.”
