MILWAUKEE — Angela McGinnis is trying to adjust to a new reality without her little brother, Cruz Beltran. He was the 17-year-old killed in a reckless driving incident in Green Bay over the weekend.
"He was my best friend, he was my best friend," McGinnis said through tears. "He was supposed to be at my college graduation, he was supposed to be at my wedding. And he's never going to be a part of anyone's special day ever again."
Cruz had been living in Florida for the last three years, but he's from Milwaukee and grew up in the city. He was back in Wisconsin visiting friends and family.
He was hanging out in and driving around Green Bay with friends, riding in the backseat. According to officials, the driver, a 15-year-old girl, was going 116 to 123 miles per hour in a 35 miles per hour zone, ran a red light, and hit other cars. Another teen was also in the car.
"He was involved with the wrong people at the wrong time," McGinnis said. "Every single passenger that's in your vehicle, you are then responsible for, and she was not responsible for my brother."
The criminal complaint says the 15-year-old girl left the scene with some other people. When police asked her the next day why she left and why she didn't call law enforcement, she told officers she didn't know why she left the scene and that she was scared. She also told officers she thought she was going 55 miles per hour.
"I just can't imagine how someone could just leave him when they see him hanging out of a car. Like you have to be sick or something to do that," McGinnis said.
McGinnis now wants to see the teen girl held accountable and charged as an adult.
"This is someone's life. This is a 17-year-old boy who died in a tragic accident who didn't deserve to die and who was left there and we need justice for him," she said.
McGinnis also expressed her disgust with social media posts she's seen about the incident. She said she came across photos and videos shared on social media that show her brother hanging out of the car.
"It was all over Facebook, people were just recording him. I had to find out from a video of seeing my brother hanging out of the car because someone was posting on Facebook," McGinnis said.
She hopes other teens will see her brother's story and think twice before doing something reckless.
"Too many people, too many kids lose their lives because of this. And it's not just Milwaukee, it's literally everywhere. And they were so young," she said.
McGinnis said she'll remember her brother as smart and a helper, as a kid who loved sports and science.
"He helps me in so many ways. I know that he really thinks that I helped him to guide him, and be there for him. I did a lot of things for him, but he did so much for me. He made me a better person," she said.
The family has set up a GoFundMe to help with funeral costs. You can donate by visiting this link.
