IREDELL COUNTY, N.C. — WCCB has learned the name of the 12-year-old who was hit and killed while walking on Interstate 77 over the weekend.
Family members identified the child on Facebook as Jessey Raffadlt.
WCCB learned Raffadlt was able to steal his family’s car from a Statesville hotel before a driver hit and killed him.
Surveillance cameras captured Raffadlt’s last moments alive. In the video, you see a child walk to a car, open the door and red break lights glow as he drives off. What happened next, ended his life. Trooper Ray Pierce has never seen a case like this before in his 23 years on the job.
He says the boy drove several miles on I-77 south, got out, walked back towards the hotel and was killed after a driver crashed into him in the middle of the northbound lanes.
Troopers say the family’s vehicle was left unlocked and the keys were inside. Officials say it is important to keep your vehicle locked and to keep the keys out of reach of children so incidents like this don’t happen.
Troopers don’t plan on charging the driver who killed the boy because the person was not speeding or under the influence.
