Neighbors plan to attend a future city council meeting to ask city leaders for a traffic light.
TRACY, Calif. — A Halloween celebration in a normally quiet Tracy neighborhood turned tragic when two young trick-or-treaters were hit by a car while crossing Tracy Boulevard before 9 p.m. Friday, police said.
Both children, under 10 years old, were last said to be in critical condition. The crash happened near Rockport Drive and Tracy Boulevard, in an area residents say draws thousands of families every year.
“This is the place everyone goes for trick or treating,” said neighbor Matt Kolditz. “A lot of people decorate….This year, we did Disney’s Haunted Mansion. I did my yard and the neighbor’s yard to do a full haunted mansion. We had props that were used from the actual ride.”
Kolditz said the festive atmosphere quickly shifted to heartbreak when emergency vehicles arrived.
“You see the candy on the ground, and that was heartbreaking for me, just to think about these poor little kids that are just innocently trick or treating,” Kolditz said.
Police said the driver remained at the scene and has been cooperative. They do not suspect alcohol or drugs played a role in the crash. No arrests have been made.
“The vehicle either did not see them or they were distracted, we’re not exactly sure yet,” said Sgt. Michael Richards of the Tracy Police Department.
Richards said the crash has taken an emotional toll on investigators as well.
“It’s heartbreaking. Most of our officers, our first responders, we’re parents. If we weren’t working on Halloween, we’d be out with our kids ourselves,” Richards said. “Just send your prayers and thoughts out to the children and family involved. Hopefully, they make a full recovery.”
Kolditz said he and other neighbors plan to press the city for a permanent traffic signal at the intersection where the crash happened.
“It really needs an intersection with a traffic signal at least, permanently,” said Kolditz. “I talked to other neighbors, we want to be at the next city council and talk about getting something done, because we can’t just say, ‘We hope things get better.’ We need to do something about it.”
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