SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — A woman described as a loving wife, a caring mother and a devout member of her church was killed over the weekend in a hit-and-run collision in San Francisco’s Bayview neighborhood.
“Her name was Sela Araujo,” said a close friend of the woman, Israel Mendez. 49-year-old Araujo was on her way home after a night of babysitting.
She was the passenger in a Lyft rideshare that was broadsided by a red light runner traveling on 3rd street at Paul Avenue Sunday around 1:15a.m.
The driver of the lyft and Araujo both died at the scene.
The intersection just so happens to be the location of Iglesia Maranatha Church where she worshipped with her, Mendez said.
“She was very active in the church, well-known. It really is shocking because actually that morning, we usually have a prayer in the morning and we all were going to pray,” Mendez said. “Then suddenly we saw that right at the corner. It was very devastating for the family.”
Police found two passengers in the suspect vehicle.
They were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
The driver did not stick around to answer any questions.
“It was a Mercedes that was speeding down 3rd street, looks like it might have gone through a traffic light, struck this other vehicle which was a Toyota and unfortunately it killed the driver and the passenger in that vehicle,” said Joseph Tomlinson with the San Francisco Police Department. “We are looking for the suspect, any surveillance footage or any kind of witnesses.”
Mendez says Araujo leaves behind a husband, three children, two grandchildren with a third grandchild on the way. He talks about what he will miss most about his longtime church companion.
“Her humor, her sense of humor. She was always making jokes, smiling, making people smile,” Mendez said.
Anyone with information about the hit-and-run driver is asked to contact San Francisco police.
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