SARASOTA, Fla. — Sarasota police say they’ve tracked down the car involved in a hit-and-run crash that left a 5-month-old and 2-year-old dead and their mother in critical condition.

The crash happened around 8:30 p.m. Monday on U.S. 301 and 7th Street.

Police said 29-year-old Taeler Joy Bennett and her two kids were hit by the driver of a white 2013-2018 Lexus ES300 who left the scene. 

Police are now talking to the registered owner/driver of the car who has reportedly been cooperating with the investigation.

A witness who told 10 Tampa Bay she called 911 believes she was one of the last people to see the family together before the tragedy happened.

“They were in front of me, just being kids, playing,” said April Dunaken, who lives nearby on 7th Street. 

“I was telling the little girl how pretty she was and how well-behaved she was, and then they left,” she added.

Dunaken said she had briefly spoken to the family, who told her they had just moved to the area. Moments later, she said she heard the crash.  

“As I left the store, I heard the biggest boom I’ve ever heard in my life. I said, ‘Oh my God, please no,'” she recalled.

Running to the scene, Dunaken said she found the mother and baby lying near the curb and quickly took the family’s 4-year-old daughter away so she wouldn’t witness the aftermath. 

“I prayed. I was praying. I was the one who called 911. My hands were shaking so bad, and I was trying to stay calm,” she said.

Audio of at least one of several 911 calls released by the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office corroborates Dunaken’s account.

Despite being rushed to the hospital as trauma alerts, the 2-year-old and 5-month-old did not survive their injuries. The father and the other child were physically unharmed but are now left to cope with the devastating loss.  

“No child should have to see that. No child,” Dunaken said.

The tragedy has left Sarasota residents in shock.  

“How anyone can do that is beyond me,” Mike Howard, a Sarasota neighbor, said. “He’s evidently scared of something, but it only gets worse if you run.”

Neighbors are now calling for better pedestrian safety in the high-traffic area.  

“They need to put up a crosswalk or a light. There are no crosswalks, and it’s hard to see when turning,” Dunaken said.

“The speed limit is 35 or 40, but people need to slow down and watch for pedestrians,” Howard added.  

A memorial of balloons and candles has been set up near the crash site as loved ones ask for privacy and prayers.  

Despite someone identifying themself to authorities as the driver of the white Lexus police were searching for, they are urging anyone with additional information to still come forward as they try to piece together exactly what happened that fateful Monday night.

“This family did not deserve this. We need justice,” Dunaken said.