4-year-old girl killed in hit-and-run crash; family offers $50,000 reward

A Harbor City family grieving over the death of their 4-year-old daughter is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the driver in a deadly hit-and-run crash that claimed her life.

Robert Sanchez was driving on the 2600 block of Normandie Avenue shortly before 8:30 p.m. Friday with his 4-year-old daughter, Jayda, and 5-year-old son, Robbie, when another driver made an illegal U-turn near the intersection with Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles Police Officer Lizeth Lomeli said.

Sanchez swerved to avoid colliding with the other vehicle, and the sudden movement caused his pickup truck to flip and slam into a light pole, authorities said.

Jayda Sanchez was killed instantly. Her brother and father were hospitalized with serious injuries and had not been released as of Monday, LAPD officials said.

The driver who caused the crash is still at large, authorities said, and a description of the vehicle is not available.

The children’s mother, Adriana Sanchez, is urging the driver to come forward.

“Whoever did this, please come clean, turn yourself in,” she told CBS-TV Channel 2 on Saturday. “[You] took a poor innocent baby.”

At the site of the crash the following day, a memorial with balloons, candles and stuffed toys surrounded pictures of a smiling Jayda.

The Sanchez family has created a GoFundMe page to help with funeral expenses. The fundraiser has already amassed over $36,000 in donations.

The crash is the second fatal hit-and-run in the area in the last week. On Tuesday, a Chevrolet Camaro was traveling east on Melrose Avenue when the driver struck and killed a bicyclist in the crosswalk at Normandie Avenue before fleeing, LAPD officials said.