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Parents of 3-year-old Quintas Chen, boy killed in Queens hit-and-run, begging community to help police find driver

Parents of 3-year-old killed in Queens hit-and-run beg for help in case
Parents of 3-year-old killed in Queens hit-and-run beg for help in case 02:09

NEW YORK -- A heartbroken family wants justice as police look for the driver who struck and killed 3-year-old Quintas Chen in Queens 

The driver of a white Infiniti sedan parked on College Point Boulevard in Downtown Flushing suddenly sped off and struck the boy when he was crossing the street with his father on Wednesday night, according to police. 

Jimmy Chen said he was walking Quintas home from the pediatrician's office when it happened. His son was pronounced dead at NewYork-Presbyterian Queens after he arrived by ambulance. 

"He's so loving. We miss him so much," said Chen, who spoke Chinese.

Quintas' mother translated for us. 

The parents described their son as sweet and very smart. He liked helping his grandparents learn English, even at 3 years old, they said. 

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Police are looking for the driver who struck and killed 3-year-old Quintas Chen, who was crossing College Point Boulevard in Flushing, Queens with his father on Nov. 29, 2023.  CBS New York

"He was a sweet boy. He was very adorable," said Chen.

According to police, the driver ditched the Infiniti four blocks away from the scene. Officials said the car was registered to a business, but they're still trying to figure out who was driving. 

Quintas' parents are begging people in the neighborhood to speak up if they saw something. 

"Help us help the police officers to find the people, the person, the driver that hit my baby and ran away," said Chen. 

Assemblyman Ron Kim echoed the call. 

"I know that we live in a community of immigrants and you may feel hesitant to speak up. And we're asking our community members to speak up," said Kim. 

Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.    

Editor's note 12/1/23: Kevin Gomez charged in deadly Queens hit-and-run

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