A man who lives near where the boy, a Macleans College pupil, and a car collided said he heard the noise of the crash and went outside to see what happened.
A boy was lying face down on the road, said the man, who did not want to be named.
Paramedics arrived soon after, and he helped them put the young victim onto a stretcher.
Several people in the neighbourhood also helped, he said.
“Everyone was helping in their own way.”
Flowers left near the scene of a fatal East Auckland car and e-motorcycle crash.
An electric motorcycle was on the ground near the boy.
He was wearing a bicycle helmet, the witness said.
The driver of the other vehicle involved in the crash was distressed and had a child with them, he said.
Another nearby resident who rang emergency services said she heard the collision before seeing a person lying on the ground.
Seven or eight people from the neighbourhood were already helping by then, she said.
“I called 111, and, then as I was speaking to the operator, there were some people trying to help the young person on the road.
“He was lying on his front and then the bystanders helped him and flipped him over.”
Two flowers were left by a street sign last Wednesday, near where the crash happened.
In an email to parents last Monday, Macleans College principal Steven Hargreaves said Chen, a Year 11 student, died on Sunday.
All students were read a statement by a senior staff member during form class with the support of a counsellor, the email seen by the Herald said.
“Sad news like this affects us in different ways. It is healthy to talk and express our feelings.”
Hargreaves said parents should encourage their children to speak to a counsellor if they wanted to.
No appointment was necessary to do so, he said.
“The circumstances around his accident have not been confirmed or formally released, and we have asked students to be thoughtful in their communication online and around school out of respect for [student] and his family.”
Macleans College principal Steven Hargreaves in 2022. Photo / Dean Purcell
A room for students to talk and leave a note of remembrance for the boy’s family in a condolence book had been set up, Hargreaves said.
Macleans College has been approached for comment.
Hato Hone St John said it sent an ambulance, rapid response vehicle, operations manager and helicopter to the crash on Sunday.