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Heartbroken Friends Recall Woman Killed In Buena Park Hotel Parking Lot Hit-And-Run

BUENA PARK  (CBSLA.com)  —  Heartbroken friends remembered a 32-year-old woman killed in the parking lot of a Buena Park Holiday Inn Saturday morning.

The man accused of fatally striking the woman -- Jessica Brown Carvajal -- and injuring another pedestrian is in custody, police said.

"She's in my heart, she's in my thoughts, I'll never forget about her, never," said Mike Kent.

He said Carvajal -- once his neighbor -- was like a daughter to him.

"We became close and she started calling me dad," Kent told KCAL9's Rebecca Ferriter.

"She thought about other people before she thought about herself. It's just a tragedy," said Brandon Shapiro, another friend.

Buena Park Police said Carvajal and another man -- 51-year-old Robert Shore -- were struck by a mini van in the parking lot near Beach Boulevard and Orangethorpe Avenue.Shore is expected to be okay.

The suspect has been identified as 60-year-old Nelson Ward.

Police say he ran from the scene. They did not give specific details about his arrest.

"I think that's a cowardly thing to do, hit somebody and then run," said Shapiro.

"You took my daughter," said Kent, "You took something from me and I hope they take something from you."

Police, probing the accident, are still investigating whether Carvajal, Shore and Ward knew each other before the deadly crash.

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