The family of a teenager killed in a car crash in Hollywood over the weekend is speaking out after the 13-year-old and two of his young friends got behind the wheel of a stolen car.
According to Florida Highway Patrol, Julian Bocanegra got in a car with a 13-year-old and a 14-year-old Saturday afternoon. Somehow, the driver -- who was not old enough to drive -- lost control, crashing through a guardrail into a canal near Mile Marker 47 on the Turnpike.
"We won’t have our baby back. He’s gone," said Jessica Bocanegra, the teen's aunt. "He didn’t get a chance to live. He didn’t get a second chance. The others did."
Julian did not make it, while the two other teens took off on foot before officers found caught up with them.
"We’re told that they abandoned the scene, the driver and the passenger, and left my nephew alone in the scene," his aunt said.
Authorities say the car was reported stolen the day after the crash— but it’s unclear how the teens got behind the wheel or who the car belongs to.
Julian’s aunt says he was a budding musician, full of promise.
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[[sot: jessica bocanegra, victim’s aunt]] “He was an aspiring rapper and he would always let me know," Jessica Bocanegra said. "He was a very loving cousin and loving brother."
Julian’s family stresses that he was not on any drugs or alcohol and that it was just a joyride that went wrong.
"We have so many questions, but we are truly truly destroyed and in a lot of pain," his aunt said.
As they mourn, Julian’s family hopes to get answers as the investigation unfolds.
“I loved my son. I loved my son. He was my only son," said the teen's father, Jorge Bocanegra. "My first born. He’s gone now."
