A 16-year-old high school volleyball player has been left with a traumatic brain injury after she was struck by a driver who fled the scene in Tempe, Arizona.
Jette Heldenbrand, a high school junior, was in a crosswalk at around 10.30pm on Friday, September 4, when she was hit by a dark gray Mazda. The driver sped away without stopping.
Jette was left with a "severe" traumatic brain injury, a broken arm and a "multitude of scrapes and bruises," according to a website set up to help find the driver and support the Heldenbrand family. She has since been fighting for her life in the ICU of Banner Desert Medical Center in Mesa.
"Jette is such a kind, loving young lady who has touched the lives of so many, and right now she is fighting for her life in the ICU," Ali Marie Beatty, a family friend, wrote on Instagram.
Beatty told AZ Family that the driver's actions were devastating for the "truly loved" high schooler and her family. "She's so sweet and bubbly and funny and kind," Beatty said. "It's devastating that someone could hit somebody and drive off and leave them."
"How do you live with yourself?" she asked.
Witness describes moment of crash
Julisa Carrizosa was sitting at the front of a bus leaving a volleyball game when she saw Jette struck by the vehicle.
"In my eyes, I thought this person could very much be gone, the prayer focused on this person to live another day to still have breath in their body," Carrizosa told ABC 15.
"Nobody deserved that. Just sickening that even though that took place, that that person would make the decision to go," she said. "I don't think that's something that's very humane."
Police search for dark gray Mazda
The Tempe Police Department said the driver is believed to have been driving a dark gray Mazda 3, a four-door sedan.
"This car is expected to have significant damage to the front driver's side, including damage to the driver's side headlamp assembly and front bumper area," the department said. "The car will likely be missing a substantial portion, if not all, of the front bumper cover."
Community rallies around volleyball player
Jette plays for the Arizona Sky Volleyball Academy and was described as "the sweetest, silly young woman" on a GoFundMe page created by Beatty for Jette and her family. GoFundMe is an online platform commonly used to raise money for medical costs and other emergencies.
As of Monday evening, the fundraiser had brought in more than $43,400 in donations.
Police are asking anyone with information to contact the Tempe Police Department at (480)-350-8311 or to submit a tip online.
