For some reason, John Cedeno was teaching the boy how to drive. As Cedeno stood beside the open driver's side door, his son slid the SUV into reverse and, by accident, hit the gas.
The 43-year-old was dragged several feet, then slammed into a tree. Pedro Torres was working inside Emilio's Pizza when he heard the crash.
"He was going crazy," Torres said through a translator. "Oh my God, I killed my dad."
A toppled fence, torn tree and shredded side view mirror speak volumes about the impact of the crash. The boy, his parents and other relatives just finished dinner and dancing at the Latin Kitchen restaurant around 9 p.m. Tuesday.
Witnesses say the teen tried to park the Porsche SUV on East Tremont Avenue in Throgs Neck.
On Wednesday, loved ones lit flickering candles on the sidewalk to illustrate their pain.
"I can't imagine," said Robert Vicente, of the Latin Kitchen. "Our thoughts and prayers are with that family and that boy who has to deal with that."
Family members asked for privacy as they walked into their home in the Van Nest section of the Bronx.
Neighbors describe a loving and quiet family.
"I just feel bad, a child lost his father," neighbor Angela Rico said. "I just saw him yesterday. It just tells us how precious life is, from one moment to the next."
Authorities do not expect any charges will be filed against the teen.
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WEB PRODUCED BY: Bill King
NEW YORK AND TRI-STATE AREA NEWS
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