Maria Pena witnessed one of her closest friends die in the parking lot while driving a brand-new go-kart.
"He was like, 'Please, a last try. I don't have a go-kart or nothing,'" Pena recalled. "Then he rode it and then this happened."
Jose Martinez, 16, came around a curve and panicked, striking a gold Kia.
"He was thrown from the go-kart," said an officer at the scene.
Police say the driver of the car, a 21-year-old woman, honked and stopped before the accident. Pena and others rushed over to Martinez and massaged his chest in an effort to revive him, but he never regained consciousness.
"He wouldn't speak to us, and we were like, 'Joe!' He wouldn't answer," Pena cried.
People who live at the complex are stunned and saddened to see a night of fun spiral out of control.
"Very scary," said one resident. "I drove back. I freaked out. I was going to go to the store. I didn't go after all."
A night Pena soon hopes to forget.
"I'm sorry," she cried. "We didn't mean to do that."
The driver of the car is uninjured. Police say they are not sure if charges will be filed against her. They are describing this as a terrible accident.
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