Tucson mom pleads for justice as her son fights for his life

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TUCSON, Arizona (KOLD News 13) – 19-year-old Anthony Mendoza is fighting for his life after an accident on the East Side.

Tucson police said there was no lead and officers are still looking for the driver.

Jeanette Gonzales hopes her son’s story will lead to some answers now that he is on a ventilator in the hospital.

“We just buried his father. I can’t imagine burying him, ”said Gonzales.

Mendoza went out with friends on Thursday, September 23, but later thought emotionally about his father, who had died a week earlier.

According to Mendoza’s friends, the teenager decided to go for a walk alone and was still trying to wrap his head over losing someone so close to him. And then this story takes a dangerous turn.

“He walked down the street alone. He sat on the sidewalk, the curb, ”Gonzales said.

According to Tucson Police, it happened around 3 a.m. on Friday on Speedway Blvd. near the Schwanenstrasse.

Mendoza sat on the curb and then rolled out into the street. A short time later, a vehicle rolled over him.

“A skull fracture that eventually led to bleeding in his brain. He has a broken neck, spine, and pelvis. His ribs are broken. His face is broken too. He’s on a ventilator. He’s going to be operated on, ”explained Gonzales.

The driver drove off and Mendoza stayed on the road. Police said many vehicles drove past him but eventually someone called the police and said there was a body on the road.

“I just don’t understand how he was hit and then left,” said Gonzales.

Mendoza is now at Banner University Medical Center, fighting for his life with mom and grandma by his side.

“I only see him. It’s hard to see him. All these tubes everywhere and he’s not breathing. It’s just awful. Worst nightmare. You don’t wish that to anyone, ”she said.

Now the family hopes that justice will be done to their open-minded, loving, and funny Anthony.

“We just want the person who did this to do the right thing and get in touch.”

If you have any information about this incident please call 88-CRIME.

Copyright 2021 KOLD News 13. All rights reserved.

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