A California woman who family members described online as an aspiring cosmetologist was killed after authorities said a rock was thrown through her car windshield as she was driving on the highway.
The woman was traveling westbound on SR-138, east of SR-18, just outside Los Angeles on Tuesday, Oct. 8 when a rock was thrown through the windshield, her passenger told authorities, according to a press release shared on Facebook by the California Highway Patrol Antelope Valley Area Office.
Officers and other first responders arrived at the scene at about 12:10 a.m. and not long after, the driver was pronounced dead at the scene, the release states. After searching the area, authorities were unable to locate any suspects, they said.
The driver was identified by loved ones on a GoFundMe campaign as 25-year-old Sarina Rodriguez, who recently started to “pursue her dream” of becoming a cosmetologist, adding that “her passion for beauty and care touched everyone who knew her.”
“Her life was cut far too short due to a senseless act of violence, leading to this unimaginable loss,” the fundraiser launched to cover funeral expenses further noted.
It continued, “Her spirit was filled with joy, laughter and a genuine kindness that brightened the lives of those around her.”
Sarina’s boyfriend, Franco Martinez, who was in the passenger seat, told Fox 11 that it all happened so fast.
“When [the rock] went through the windshield, it collapsed her airway. Whole frontal, unrecognizable. Fatal on site,” Martinez said, per Fox 11.
Authorities did not identify the driver in the press release. PEOPLE reached out to the California Highway Patrol to confirm the woman’s identity but did not immediately hear back in time for publication.
Anyone with information on the fatal rock-throwing incident, which occurred just two days after another driver reported a rock being thrown at their windshield in the area, is asked to contact the California Highway Patrol at (323)-259-3200.
