14-year-old boy critically injured while riding bike in Indy hit-and-run

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — This story has been updated with new information from the Marion County Coroner’s Office.

14-year-old Wilberto Rivera died Monday at Riley Hospital for Children, four days after he was struck by a vehicle while riding his bike on the city’s far east side, the Marion County Coroner’s Office said Tuesday.

Rivera critically injured while riding his bicycle Thursday night in a hit-and-run on the far-east side of Indianapolis.

Rivera was on a neon-colored, electric bike with lights in the 1100 block of North Cumberland Road just north of 10th Street, the family says. He was with a group of friends and was the only teen on a bike.

His family said he had just helped one friend get home and was headed back to his. Rivera is a freshman at Victory College Prep and was on Fall Break.

“He was with a group of boys, he was the only one on the bike,” Rivera’s first cousin, Kiyah, said. “There were a few that were walking.”

Just before 10 p.m., police were called to the road on a report of a pedestrian struck in a hit-and-run with a pediatric cardiac arrest.

They arrived to find Rivera and he was transported to Riley Children’s Hospital in very critical condition. He had been thrown 50 feet.

The family says the car had no lights.

Neighbors witnessed the crash.

“I looked out my window,” Kathy Mickel said. “And I saw, unfortunately, I saw a kid put on a stretcher they were doing compressions on him.”

Rivera’s family says he is on life support now.

“He was someone’s son, brother, uncle. He was very important to us. Very important,” Kiyah said.

The person driving the car did not wait for police and nobody has been arrested. Rivera’s family is calling for anyone with information to come forward.

“Hurt. Devastated,” Kiyah said. “I mean how can you hit a little kid? Then just leave him and not check on him? How can you hit a person and leave them and not check on them? They’re not animals.”

Detectives canvassed the area for security camera footage of the incident. Police asked anyone with information to call the IMPD Crash Investigations team at 317-327-6549.