A 7-year-old died after a hit-and-run at the intersection of Central Avenue and Tingley Drive.

The Albuquerque community hosted a candlelight vigil for Pronoy Bhattacharya.

“In his seven years of life, I think he has touched everyone’s heart. Everybody loved him, adored him, he was extremely intelligent, inquisitive but at the same time very kind and humble,” Jawairia Memon, who knew the boy and his family, said to KRQE.

Police executed an arrest warrant to Sergio Almanza, 27; however, his whereabouts are unknown as of publishing.

Almanza is the driver of the off-road vehicle and police say he was drinking before the incident. Police are still searching for him, asking Crime Stoppers for help.

“Every time you saw him there was a smile on his face. I’m very angry with this loss. It did not need to happen, and we’ve lost a brilliant beautiful boy,” Tina Patel, the director of Montessori ONE Academy, where Bhattacharya used to attend school, said to KRQE.

Bhattacharya was hit and killed by the off-road vehicle, which fled the scene.

“We’ve worked hard the last two years to keep children safe from COVID-19, and nobody would have thought that this is what we needed to keep them safe from as well,” Patel said to KRQE.

A local off-roading group called RZR-Ville held a benefit ride fundraiser Sunday to support the child's family and raised over $13,000, KRQE reported.

“It was totally avoidable and that’s the issue,” Tina Petersen, a pediatrician, said. “The crime has become out of control.”

To donate to the family, visit the GoFundMe page.