MILFORD — All his beloved toys were here, leaned against a traffic sign just steps from where Jonathan Loja was killed by a hit-and-run driver. A tiny off-road bike, an Avengers backpack, and his favorite — a worn, talking replica of Woody from “Toy Story.’’
Jonathan, whose parents are from Ecuador and live in Framingham, was learning English with the help of the doll’s familiar refrains like “There’s a snake in my boot!’’ When the boy’s mother pulled the string Monday, she broke down, a family member said.
“To know that he’s gone, it’s just really hard,’’ said Raquel Tacuri, whose husband is a cousin to Jonathan’s father and whose children were close to him. “He was one of the best kids to be around.’’
As relatives of the 4-year-old boy gathered in tearful disbelief, investigators searched for the driver who ran him down on Water Street about 4:45 p.m. Sunday afternoon. They are searching for a Toyota Scion xB in the striking shade called “Absolutely Red,’’ but cannot rule out the possibility that a different vehicle was to blame.
Police and family members implored the driver to come forward.
“Please turn yourself in. This little boy didn’t deserve to die,’’ Tacuri said. “We need justice, and you’re going to give it to us.’’
Jonathan had been playing after he and his parents came from Framingham to a relative’s home on Water Street for an Easter visit. Police have not said where the adults were when the boy was struck.
Water Street runs through a thickly settled neighborhood that is filled with children. Many drivers use it as a cut-through from Milford’s downtown to Route 140.
There is a crosswalk not far from where the accident happened. No obvious skid marks or remnants of the crash were visible on Monday. The speed limit in that area is 30 miles per hour, and police said they are investigating how fast the vehicle was going when it hit the child.
Police found a yo-yo near his body. Jonathan had been learning how to use it, Tacuri said. She reiterated that the boy was just 4, a year younger than earlier reports from police.
He was born in the United States and has two older siblings in Ecuador. Now, there’s no reason for the family to stay here, Tacuri said.
Loved ones set up an online fund-raiser to defray the costs of burying Jonathan in their home country.
Nathalia Teixeira, who has lived on and off in the area for 15 years, said she hopes someone will come forward.
“How can someone just get away with this?’’ she asked. “The parents need justice. The people who were witnesses need justice. It’s devastating.’’
Some neighbors described seeing the boy on the ground after the collision, with a family member hunched over him.
“When I got out, the boy’s father was in the street, and he was distraught,’’ Barbara Savage told the Globe on Sunday. “It was obvious [the boy] was already gone.’’
Angela Lancia, who also lives nearby, said that even if the driver did not realize he had hit something, the police response and news coverage that followed were hard to miss.
“I’m sure they know by now what happened,’’ she said. “Just come forward and take whatever is coming. A child is gone. It’s very sad.’’
The vehicle police are seeking may have a right rear brake light out and damage to the front right or undercarriage. Police believe the vehicle is a second-generation Scion xB, which was made from 2007 to 2015. The vehicle has tinted windows and black wheels, police said. It is a special edition red color that was released in 2009.
Milford police asked members of the public to report any sightings.
“If anyone was driving on Water Street between 4:30 and 5, we would like to speak with them to learn what they may have seen and to eliminate their vehicle from the need to investigate further,’’ Police Chief Thomas O’Loughlin said.
Police said they are reviewing surveillance video collected after the incident and are looking for the vehicle around the Milford area. They have also asked agencies in nearby communities to watch for any signs of it.
Jonathan would have started kindergarten this year, Tacuri said. He was full of energy and loved soccer and playing with his cousins.
She looked at a picture of him, smiling and giving a thumbs-up, his hair combed to a peak.
“My husband says that he looks so alive in that picture,’’ she said, as she started to cry.
John R. Ellement of the Globe staff and Globe correspondent Reena Karasin contributed to this report. Andy Rosen can be reached at andrew.rosen@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @andyrosen.
