14-Year-Old Boy Killed After Running From School Onto Highway — Family Demands to Know What Went Wrong

A 14-year-old boy with autism is dead after he ran away from his high school and ran onto a busy Texas highway, where an SUV fatally struck him. Now, his grieving family is looking for answers.

On Tuesday, Sept. 23, around 4:50 p.m. local time, police responded to reports of a pedestrian and vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 54 near mile marker 24 in El Paso, police said in a news release.

The agency’s special traffic investigations unit began an investigation, which revealed that the victim, Joseph Nathaniel Caraballo, was seen running west across the northbound lanes of the highway, crossing the center barrier, and proceeding to run north along the southbound lanes of U.S. Highway 54. At that time, the 14-year-old boy ran into the path of a 2024 Toyota 4Runner as it traveled south.

“The driver attempted to avoid the collision, but was unable to do so,” officials said. “Caraballo was struck in the roadway.”

Multiple witnesses tried to help the young boy before he was taken to a local hospital, where he died of his injuries, police said.

A spokesperson for the El Paso Police Department confirms to PEOPLE that no charges have been filed against the driver, and an investigation is ongoing.

The teen had level three autism spectrum disorder, the most severe form of the condition, and had a history of elopement, or wandering away from Austin High School in the past, his family told NBC affiliate KTSM and FOX affiliate KFOX.

This pattern of behavior is more common with children with severe impairment and occurs when a child leaves a “safe, monitored environment,” according to the Cleveland Clinic.

“Securing your home, preparing your neighbors and teaching your loved one to swim are key to ensuring your child’s safety,” the medical center said of protecting a child with autism, who has a proclivity for wandering away from safe spaces.

“Our family right now is distraught,” Evette Ortiz, Caraballo’s mom, told KTSM. “I’m numb about the situation right now. I’m angry. I just don’t understand. This could have been prevented.”

The tragic incident was the third time that year that the 14-year-old boy had left school, the family alleged, according to the outlets. The last time, Caraballo was missing for seven hours. The week before the child’s fatal attempt, the family said they met with the school’s special education teachers to talk about a safety plan to stop Caraballo from wandering, KTSM reported. Now, the devastated family is seeking an explanation from the El Paso Independent School District.

“Of having safety plans put in place for Joey, for him to be safe, for them to sit with him, be by his side at all times. Where was that person? I don’t know,” Ortiz told KTSM. That Tuesday, she learned her son was missing when she got a call an hour after school was dismissed, KFOX reported.

On Sunday, Sept. 28, Interim Superintendent Martha Aguirre said that their “hearts are heavy” in a statement addressing the student’s death.

“Joseph was a cherished member of the El Paso ISD family, and we are grieving alongside his loved ones,” she wrote. “Counseling and support services remain available for our students and staff, and I ask that you keep his family, friends, and all those impacted in your thoughts and prayers.”

Concern over student safety has grown after Caraballo’s death, KFOX reported. The boy had an Individualized Education Program (IEP), a plan that outlines a student’s specific needs, in place. The teen’s IEP outlined that he was known to leave school.

“The public deserves to know what happened, and the parents deserve to know exactly what went wrong,” Leah Hanany, the school district’s board president, told the outlet.

The El Paso Independent School District confirmed to KFOX that a third-party investigator is now reviewing the incident, which will determine if there were failures in safety campus protocol that allowed Caraballo to travel far away from his school, the outlet reported.

“Somebody lost their life and it is the worst thing that can happen to a family,” Hanany told the outlet. “It is critical the public knows we are holding the district accountable for what happens to our students. We need to do everything to keep kids safe.”

The El Paso Independent School District did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for further comment.

Now, as Caraballo’s mom pushes for answers, she said she’s thankful to the people who tried to save her son.

“I’m thankful for everybody that tried to stop their cars in the middle of not knowing the situation of a child running on the highway,” Ortiz told KTSM. “He wasn’t supposed to be there. And I thank everybody for trying to protect my baby.” The mom noted that her son’s death is not the driver’s fault.

“She was on the highway, where he didn’t belong,” she told the outlet. “That woman is going to be scarred for life.”

Caraballo’s older sister, Alysha Munoz, has since created a GoFundMe to cover funeral costs. She describes her little brother as “full of light.”

He “had a heart that touched everyone who knew him,” continued Munoz, who did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment. “His laughter and unique spirit brought so much joy to our family and friends.”

The 14-year-old’s funeral is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 11, and Sunday, Oct. 12, in Central El Paso, KFOX reported.