It happened on Oak and Vine streets in San Jose. Elijah, his sister, and a family friend were all in the crosswalk.
The accident is still under investigation and the driver has not been charged with a crime. A steady stream of mourners is stopping at the corner to pray and light candles.
Maria Rodriguez, a friend of the family, says, "He was an awesome little blonde-head, blue eyed, smart little 3-year-old that I ever met in my whole life, honestly. I've never seen a 3-year-old so smart. He was just brave and he was happy always."
Her friend Karena Mendoza and her son Elijah arrived in San Jose for a family visit, but she got a call that would change her life forever.
"She calls the mom and she's like, 'You need to come right now, baby got hit,' and mom's running one way, I'm running another way," said Rodriguez.
Maria's 13-year-old daughter was pushing Elijah in his stroller. The teen was also holding the hand of Elijah's 6-year-old sister. They were in a crosswalk when they were hit and killed by a pickup truck making a turn onto Vine. Her daughter and the 6-year-old were briefly hospitalized, but according to police, Elijah took most of the impact and was pronounced dead about an hour later.
"It was just 10 minutes, they were gone and in that 10 minutes, we lost a little angel," said Rodriguez.
Police say, both the truck and the children had the green light, but the driver failed to yield. ABC7 News spoke with Elijah's mother by phone. She is in Salinas with family, working on arrangements to lay her son to rest.
