New crosswalk lights were dedicated Thursday to a 101-year-old man who was killed outside a school in Boyle Heights.
Grandfather Jose Noriega died in a hit-and-run at the intersection of Lorena Street and Opal Street last October
And Resurrection Catholic School students gathered to pay their respects and hold a moment of silence for the popular senior, who would wave at schoolchildren every day as he ran errands, as the new safety lights were switched on.
"Every time this light turns red it will be a reminder to all of us that Mr. Noriega is watching over us," Principle Angelica Figueroa said.
Locals said there have been deadly accidents on this stretch of road before, and just a few weeks ago, another pedestrian hit a few hundred yards away.
Friends of the victim previously said Noriega crossed that street every morning and went to a local bakery for sweet bread and coffee.
The driver in the crash, Ricardo Avalos, 41, pleaded not guilty to felony hit-and-run and vehicular manslaughter according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
