Witnesses sought in Pilsen hit and run that killed bride to be

Marcela Herrera was described as a vibrant soul as family and friends gathered Saturday at the site in Pilsen where she was killed and her fiancé injured by a hit-and-run driver last week.

Herrera, 22, had just finished her shift at the Tacos y Tamales Festival when she and her fiancé, Mauricio Leyva, were walking to dinner about 11:20 p.m. July 19. As they crossed the street at Ashland Avenue and Cullerton Street, the driver of a silver car struck them both and fled the scene, Chicago police and her family said.

Herrera and Leyva, 21, were taken to Stroger Hospital, where Herrera died and Leyva was treated for serious injuries.

A few dozen friends and family members wearing pink T-shirts with Herrera’s photo and the words, “Justice for Marcela” on them, prayed Saturday afternoon around a memorial.

“Above all, may justice be served, may the truth rise and may Marcela’s spirit continue to shine through all of us,” her longtime friend, Jazmin Ruiz, said, concluding the prayer.

Some sobbed and hugged each other as they placed flowers and other items around the memorial.

The group then split up and canvassed the neighborhood, passing out fliers to business owners and residents seeking information about the crash and the driver’s whereabouts.

Diego Garcia, another longtime friend of Herrera, said he had walked the neighborhood Friday and learned that police hadn't requested surveillance footage from nearby businesses.

“I think it’s disappointing and ridiculous that it’s been almost a week and nobody had asked business owners a block down for footage, so we’re here to also urge community members to call the tip line if they have heard of anything, if they saw anything,” Garcia said as a light rain fell.

“This was all so unexpected and today, we’re here to demand that the city does a better job at investigating Marcela’s case,” he said.

Police said Saturday that no arrests have been made and that the department’s Major Accidents Unit continues to investigate. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at (312) 745-4521 or submit an anonymous tip at cpdtip.com or by texting “CPDTIP” to 738-477.

A fundraiser for Herrera has collected more than $30,000 as of Saturday evening, and another for Leyva had raised about $5,000.

Garcia said that Leyva was released from the hospital and that he has been spending time with family and “taking his time to recover.” Herrera and Leyva had been planning a wedding for Aug. 21.

As the second oldest sibling of six children, Herrera was used to being around younger kids and became passionate about helping youth in her community.

She worked at Rainforest Learning Center pre-school in the South Loop and organized many events for kids, including ones last year about mental health and another for the Day of the Dead.

“She never lost the innocence that she had growing up,” Garcia said.

Green Curtain Events, which organized the Tacos y Tamales Festival, is helping to fund a scholarship that Garcia and Ruiz suggested in honor of Herrera.

“Marcela wasn’t just a part of our team — she was family,” Green Curtain Events said in a statement. “Her energy, laughter and kindness helped shape the very heart of Tacos y Tamales and every event she touched.”

The friends said they hope to give the scholarship to a few students who had similar backgrounds as Herrera.

“We understand that Marcela faced many different barriers as an undocumented, young woman,” Garcia said. “So, through this scholarship, we want to help support other young people in the city in ways that we wish Marcela was supported.”

Ruiz added that the scholarship would be an ideal way to “bring more awareness, make sure that we keep her legacy and her name alive because this is a very unfortunate situation that we shouldn’t have to be in. And we definitely think that us, as a youth here in Chicago, we can make a change.”