Jade Maldonado, the 14-year-old student who died after being struck by a hit-and-run driver Friday in front of her school, was remembered and honored during a vigil Saturday night at Pacific High School.

Jade’s parents and other relatives were joined by dozens of high school students, parents, school staff and faculty and members of the community.

Vigil for 14-year-old fatal hit and run victim Jade Maldonado, outside her school, Pacific High School, on Saturday, September 29, 2018. (Photo by Frank Perez, Contributing Photographer)

Parents of the vicitm Emett Maldonado and Cynthia Garcia hold hands as they give interviews to the media, at the vigil for 14-year-old fatal hit and run victim Jade Maldonado, outside her school, Pacific High School, on Saturday, September 29, 2018. (Photo by Frank Perez, Contributing Photographer)

Sound The gallery will resume in seconds

Uncle Steven Gomez kneels at the memorial for his niece, 14-year-old fatal hit and run victim Jade Maldonado, outside her school, Pacific High School, on Saturday, September 29, 2018. (Photo by Frank Perez, Contributing Photographer)

(center) Emett Maldonado approaches the memorial for his daughter Jade Maldonado, 14-year-old fatal hit and run victim, outside her school, Pacific High School, on Saturday, September 29, 2018. (Photo by Frank Perez, Contributing Photographer)

Vigil for 14-year-old fatal hit and run victim Jade Maldonado, outside her school, Pacific High School, on Saturday, September 29, 2018. (Photo by Frank Perez, Contributing Photographer)



Vigil for 14-year-old fatal hit and run victim Jade Maldonado, outside her school, Pacific High School, on Saturday, September 29, 2018. (Photo by Frank Perez, Contributing Photographer)

(center) Emett Maldonado approaches the memorial for his daughter Jade Maldonado, 14-year-old fatal hit and run victim, outside her school, Pacific High School, on Saturday, September 29, 2018. (Photo by Frank Perez, Contributing Photographer)

(center) Emett Maldonado, father of the victim, approaches the memorial for his daughter Jade Maldonado, 14-year-old fatal hit and run victim, outside her school, Pacific High School, on Saturday, September 29, 2018. (Photo by Frank Perez, Contributing Photographer)

Vigil for 14-year-old fatal hit and run victim Jade Maldonado, outside her school, Pacific High School, on Saturday, September 29, 2018. (Photo by Frank Perez, Contributing Photographer)

Isabell Rico, cries at the vigil of her friend , 14-year-old fatal hit and run victim Jade Maldonado, outside her school, Pacific High School, on Saturday, September 29, 2018. (Photo by Frank Perez, Contributing Photographer)



Vigil for 14-year-old fatal hit and run victim Jade Maldonado, outside her school, Pacific High School, on Saturday, September 29, 2018. (Photo by Frank Perez, Contributing Photographer)

Students and friends embrace at the vigil for 14-year-old fatal hit and run victim Jade Maldonado, outside her school, Pacific High School, on Saturday, September 29, 2018. (Photo by Frank Perez, Contributing Photographer)

(center) Emett Maldonado, father of the victim, approaches the memorial for his daughter Jade Maldonado, 14-year-old fatal hit and run victim, outside her school, Pacific High School, on Saturday, September 29, 2018. (Photo by Frank Perez, Contributing Photographer)

Balloons are released during th vigil for 14-year-old fatal hit and run victim Jade Maldonado, outside her school, Pacific High School, on Saturday, September 29, 2018. (Photo by Frank Perez, Contributing Photographer)

Vigil for 14-year-old fatal hit and run victim Jade Maldonado, outside her school, Pacific High School, on Saturday, September 29, 2018. (Photo by Frank Perez, Contributing Photographer)



Vigil for 14-year-old fatal hit and run victim Jade Maldonado, outside her school, Pacific High School, on Saturday, September 29, 2018. (Photo by Frank Perez, Contributing Photographer)

Vigil for 14-year-old fatal hit and run victim Jade Maldonado, outside her school, Pacific High School, on Saturday, September 29, 2018. (Photo by Frank Perez, Contributing Photographer)

Jade Maldonado, 14, was killed when she was struck by a vehicle while walking to Pacific High in San Bernardino on Sept. 28, 2018. The CHP said the driver fled. (Courtesy of GoFundMe)

The California Highway Patrol released an image of a vehicle officers believe struck a 14-year-old girl as she walked to school Friday, Sept. 28 in San Bernardino. The driver did not stop after hitting the girl. (Courtesy California Highway Patrol)

Teachers and friends shared stories of Jade, describing a girl who had goals to attend college, won numerous academic awards, was kind and smiled often; was selfless, outspoken and hard working.

Albert Pena, one of Jade’s relatives, said that seven years ago, she volunteered to be a donor for a bone marrow transplant in order to save her younger brother. Jade’s two younger brothers were also in attendance Saturday.

Those in attendance filled a bucket with donations and laid candles next to flowers, photos of Jade, and posters that read, “Rest easy Jade,” “You will be missed,” and “Justice for Jade.”

Alissa Payne, who organized the vigil and a GoFundMe page to assist the family, led the effort for donations.

“She’s amazed right now,” Emett Maldonado, Jade’s father, said after the brief ceremony. “She never thought she had that many friends here. For some reason she thought she didn’t have friends. Silly mistake there, ‘cause the love out here’s amazing. I can’t even come to words — all the people that came out here I don’t even know. She touched more people in the school, too, that I never thought she did.”

Jade was struck near Glasgow Avenue and Pacific Street just after 7 a.m. on Friday. She was crossing the street in a marked crosswalk when a vehicle – described as a tan 2000 to 2004 GMC SUV traveling 40-50 mph – struck her and kept on driving, according to the California Highway Patrol.

During the vigil, several of Jade’s friends spoke in front of the crowd and members of the media.

“She was one of the few people I could laugh with. She always had a smile,” Isabel Rico, one of her classmates said while crying. “Now that that person hit her, it hurt me so much to think that one day, you wake up all happy, knowing you’re going to live and have this life ahead of you, and not knowing that your life could end right there at that second of time.”

Gabriel Carrillo, one of Jade’s friends, recalled back to Friday. When Carrillo arrived at school, he sat at a table where Jade would join her friends before school. Jade was noticeably absent.

“Then, during third period, in English, when our teacher told us that she got hit by a car, it was so scary.” Carillo said as tears streamed down his face. “I just hoped with all my heart that I would be able to see her again.”

Paramedics took Jade to Loma Linda University Medical Center, where she underwent surgery. She died at 1:26 p.m.

“The main concern on this street is that people get going really fast,” said Natalie Raymundo, principal of Pacific High School.

“There’s several schools on this street and a lot of these streets connect Pacific,” Raymundo said while looking out toward Pacific Street, where heavy amounts of traffic filled the roads throughout the ceremony.

Raymundo said the school provided counselors for students on Friday, and will continue to do so on Monday.

A female student who attends the school and her father witnessed the incident and were connected with counselors, Raymundo said.

“It affects everybody, feeling like it could happen to them,” Raymundo said.

No arrests had been made as of 9:00 p.m. Saturday, CHP officials said. Brian Alvarez, a CHP officer, said that the CHP looked into a Facebook post in which someone claimed that a vehicle for sale could belong to the suspect, but investigators determined that it did not.

Investigators asked anyone who witnessed the collision or who may have information regarding it to contact the CHP at 909-383-4247.