A Long Beach family is asking for donations to help bury a recent Poly High School graduate who died last week while bicycling in Signal Hill.

Raider Magallanes had plans to join the Marines on Aug. 26 and was training with two friends at the time of the crash, said the victim’s aunt and legal guardian Velina Velasquez. Magallanes graduated with honors from Poly on June 13 and turned 18 earlier in the month.

“He was just a loving kid that was loved by so many, and he’s going to be missed,” Velasquez said.

Velina Velasquez and her husband, Edgar Magallanes Sr., stand next to a roadside memorial for their adopted son Radier Magallanes. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.

Police said the crash happened when Magallanes was heading westbound down a steep hill on Skyline Drive at about 7:35 p.m. on June 18. According to the Signal Hill Police Department, he ran a red light and “collided into a moving vehicle” at the intersection of Cherry Avenue and Skyline Drive. The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators, police said.

Velasquez disputes the Signal Hill Police Department’s version of events. She has been out at the intersection every day since the crash looking for witnesses.

“I have so many witnesses and they’re all telling me that [Magallanes] had a green light, that he had the right of way,” she said.

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Velasquez, who has lived in Long Beach for nearly three decades, said police concluded Magallanes ran a red light based on video from a grocery store that did not show the lights at the intersection. In the six days she has stayed near the intersection, Velasquez said she witnessed a hit-and-run crash and several near misses.

“There needs to be a camera here, there should have been a camera here,” Velasquez said.

Candles and flowers have been set up at the northeast corner of the intersection and stickers bearing the Marine Corps’ motto, “Semper Fi,” are posted on the traffic pole along with a picture of Magallanes.

Velina Velasquez stands next to a roadside memorial for her adopted son Radier Magallanes where he was killed at Cherry Avenue and Skyline Drive in Signal Hill. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.

Even the school district, extended its condolences: “Our hearts are heavy as we mourn this loss,” Long Beach Unified said in a statement. “We extend our deepest condolences to the student’s family, friends, and everyone affected by this heartbreaking event.”

Velasquez adopted Magallanes and his two brothers when he was eight years old.

“He wouldn’t call me his mom but he would call me his mum, M-U-M,” she said. “I’m his aunt, but I took him in as my own.”

As of Tuesday morning, the fundraiser had gained $6,100 toward its $30,000 goal.