7-year-old dies in hit-and-run, police seek driver

Police are searching for a suspect responsible for the New Jersey hit-and-run death of a 7-year-old girl walking to school Monday morning.

At around 8:30 a.m. at the corner of Van Buren Place and 61stStreet in West New York, the 7-year-old and her mother were hit by a black Chevrolet Tahoe that fled the scene, NBC reported.

The 7-year-old, identified as Sheyla Pichardo by West New York Mayor Felix Roque, was a first-grade student at School #1, ABC added in a related report. West New York flags will fly at half-staff in her memory, and the city will handle her funeral costs.

Her mother survived but was seriously injured in the incident, authorities said to NBC.

She told police that a passenger got out of the stopped vehicle, a late model black Chevy Tahoe with chrome detailing, and saw what happened before the car sped away, ABC reported.

Police have area surveillance footage that they are examining as part of their investigation, according to ABC.

So far, there have been no arrests, NBC added.