BROADWAY, NC — The NC Highway Patrol continues looking for the driver of the vehicle that killed two teens when it plowed into a group of young people who’d just left a gas station on foot.
They were heading back to a home less that a quarter mile along the road after getting candy at the store on Saturday night.
On Monday night, the families of two of the victims have messages for the hit and run driver who took the lives of young people that two families loved very much.
“I just know we’re going to miss her very much, we hope you’ll find the person who did this,” said Janice Schark, the mother of one of the dead teens.
Schark is talking about her 13-year-old daughter Jennafer, a girl who the family says loved art and animals and was friendly to everybody.
“Just hope and pray the people who did this will pay for what they did …not only did they take a life — they took two lives and he shouldn’t be out there… it’s not fair he’s still out there and mine ain’t..” Schark added.
Just after 11 p.m. on Saturday, Jennafer 16-year-old Kyle Strait and 14-year-old Steven Daniels were walking along the side of US 421 when they were struck by a vehicle.
The large vehicle roared off the side of the road and into the group, witnesses said. Seconds after the group was struck the driver took off.
Jennafer and Kyle died and Steven suffered critical injuries.
Jennafer’s 17-year-old sister was with the group and the missed getting hit by inches..
“I was standing on the inside,” said sister Jessyka Schark. “It bothers me I wasn’t on the outside to protect my sister.”
“It hit on the end and it was like gone… It’s hard to process what happened… It didn’t stop,” Jessyka said of the crash.
Jessyka has a message for the driver.
“… Taking two lives in hurting people, how can you live with yourself, it’s just wrong,” she said. “They know what they did they was wrong…shouldn’t try and get around it.”
Kyle’s older brother wouldn’t talk on camera saying he was too upset, but he also sent a message to the driver:
“It won’t end well if you don’t turn yourself in…” he said.
For Jennafer’s mother — the pain of the loss is just immeasurable.
“Try to be strong for the other children involved in this, our hearts go out to the other families,” Schark said.