Hernan Martinez’s family had just moved to Hyde Park in early September. Closing the chapter on more than a decade in Baldwin Village, the family of four was looking forward to a fresh start in South LA.
On Sept. 17, they celebrated Hernan’s 16th birthday. The teen was excited at the possibility of finally obtaining his driving permit.
“He was barely coming into the stages of life,” said Eliseo Martinez, Hernan’s older brother.
Five days later, Hernan was killed in a hit-and-run while crossing the street near the intersection of 60th Street and 10th Avenue, according to the LA Police Department.
He was walking home with his sister, Vicky Martinez, 14, and mother, Maria Hernandez, when a speeding sedan struck the two teenagers, family members and one witness told The LA Local. The driver and passengers fled before police arrived, leaving behind a scene witnesses described as surreal and devastating.
Hernan was pronounced dead at the scene while his sister was transported to the hospital with critical injuries, according to police.
“He never did anything out of pocket. Nothing,” said Eliseo Martinez, adding that Hernan “was always helping my mom. He was just… an angel.”
Hernan’s family set up a GoFundMe to raise support for the funeral and other expenses.
Hernan’s death has bolstered calls for city leaders to stem LA’s ongoing struggle with traffic deaths. Last year, 290 people were killed in traffic collisions in LA, 60 more than those who died by homicide, according to LAPD data. Of these fatal collisions, 150 involved pedestrians.
LA City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, whose district covers Hyde Park, introduced a motion one week after Hernan’s death that called on the LA Department of Transportation to conduct a traffic safety assessment of the section of 60th Street where Hernan was killed and provide options for “permanent and/or temporary traffic calming measures.”
“It shouldn’t take public pressure after a child’s death to get LADOT to study and maybe make some improvements down the line,” said Jonathan Hale, founder of People’s Vision Zero, a traffic safety advocacy group. “There needs to be a rapid, systematic and immediate response that leads to actual change in every instance and that needs to happen preventatively as well.”
Hernan was the artist and techwiz of the family, his brother says
Born to a tight-knit family from Oaxaca, Mexico, loved ones described Hernan as shy, gentle and creative — a “niño muy dulce” who loved the beach, watching “Wandavision,” and making things with his hands.
“He had a talent in his hands,” Juanita Martinez, Hernan’s aunt, told The LA Local in Spanish. “He made bread, pastries, tarts… he was very talented.”
Eliseo Martinez, 20, emphasized his little brother’s creative nature. He preferred baking and crocheting rather than buying the best clothes or participating in the latest social trends, Martinez said.
“He was a really big fan of trying to make sourdough,” Martinez said.
While being the artist of the family, Hernan was also their techwiz, Martinez said. Whenever he needed help with the family printer, he’d pay Hernan in snacks for tech support.
“The other day I was going to tell him to print out a GoFundMe QR Code then I realized, damn, I can’t even ask him no more,” Martinez said. “I counted on him a lot.”
The brothers’ five-year age difference meant they didn’t spend a lot of time together growing up, though they did eventually grow closer. Martinez took to his cousins who were around his age, while Hernan kept close to his mother, who he was always eager to help, and younger sister, with whom he was very protective.
Whenever Martinez would try to school their sister, Vicky, on the ways of the world, Hernan would always step in to defend her.
“They’ve always been one and one,” Martinez said, “like peanut butter and jelly.”
Hernan’s cousin, Andrea Pérez, 15, also spoke lovingly of him. She said she’ll miss their times at the beach, the smiley face pizzas he’d bake and their laughs over FaceTime.
“He was the best person ever. I don’t know why this had to happen,” Andrea said. “He didn’t deserve this.”
Hernan was taking online classes at City of Angels, an independent study school, hoping to earn his high school diploma early so that he could begin working full time.
In the days after Hernan’s death, family and friends — along with more than 100 people — have continuously gathered beneath a backyard canopy in Hyde Park. They arrive carrying flowers, trays of food, boxes of Mexican sweet bread, and cases of water. They’re all part of a novenario, a nine-day period of prayer for loved ones who’ve passed away.
The Sunday after the crash, Martinez brought Hernan a bowl from Panda Express to place on his altar at the novenario. When he opened Hernan’s fortune cookie, the message read, “the land of sunshine and relaxation awaits you.”
“It was pretty heartwarming to see,” Eliseo said. “I thought it was a sign from above that now he’s at peace.”
