STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Anheli Vasquez‑Trinidad loved playing in the snow and dreamed of one day visiting Santa’s Village.
But just weeks after Christmas, the 6‑year‑old’s life was cut short, leaving her family to mourn an unimaginable loss.
Now, Merlyna Trinidad must lay to rest her “adorable little girl.”
Anheli, of Clifton, was one of two people to die in a horrific car crash on Jan. 2 in New Springville. The crash also killed Gerardo “Jerry” Avila, 90, and critically injured Avila’s wife, Perla. The trio were on their way to Avila’s cancer treatment when their Honda SUV and an Audi SUV collided.
“She was love and light to everyone around her. Everything in our house is pink because it was Anheli’s favorite color,” Trinidad said.
According to Trinidad, her daughter was a true girly-girl who loved the color pink, unicorns, long hair, getting her nails done.
The crash has shattered Anheli’s family and Staten Island’s tight-knit Dominican American community.
Trinidad remembered her daughter as an intelligent child who had a big heart and was fluent in two languages.
“She had a huge heart, was super intelligent, spoke two languages and could read in both,” Trinidad said. “She had a great memory. She remembered her address and all of her my information. She was always very mature for her age.”
Born in Staten Island to Dominican parents and a large extended family, Anheli was proud to be Dominican.
“She loved her father and I very much; Anheli was a family-oriented child,” Trinidad said. “Everyday she would tell us she loved us and we loved her too.”
A bouquet of pink roses are carefully fastened to a tree neat where Anheli Vasquez-Trinidad, 6, and 90-year-old Gerardo Avila were killed in a New Springville crash on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026.Advance/SILive.com | Jan Somma-HammelThe day of the crash
Anheli was in the backseat of Gerardo’s Honda SUV, accompanying the couple to Gerardo’s appointment at a cancer treatment center located on Richmond Avenue when the tragic crash occurred, his son Elias Avila told the Advance/SILive.com.
Anheli was pronounced dead at the hospital following the Friday morning collision in New Springville, according to police.
Perla, 70, was driving the SUV at the time of the crash. She was admitted to the ICU and is “currently recovering and continues to heal both physically and emotionally,” said Elias.
The Avila family has created a GoFundMe campaign to help cover Gerardo’s homegoing expenses. It can be found by visiting gofundme.com and searching “Gerardo Avila.”
Gerardo and Perla frequently babysat Anheli and considered her a granddaughter, though they were not related by blood, said Elias.
Gerardo Avila, 90 (right) and Anheli Vasquez-Trinidad, 6, were killed in the New Springville collision while his wife Perla (left) remains in ICU recovery.Courtesy of Elias Avila
When she was merely an infant, Gerardo and Perla volunteered to babysit her while her mother went to work, according to Elias. So, it was not unusual that Anheli was with the couple on Jan. 2.
“She was a very loving little girl. She was attached to my family, to me. I loved her dearly,” Elias said. “My wife and I, before we had children, we would take Anheli. She was almost like a practice child. We learned how children act and what children like to do.”
Elias remembered Anheli as a smart little girl who loved to read and share her chores and hobbies with them.
“Anheli helped us transition into becoming actual parents,” Elias somberly reflected.
According to Elias, Trinidad is devastated by the loss.
Anheli and her family attended Gerardo’s 90th birthday party in October, Elias noted.
“Anheli and her family were part of the family. They were there in every picture I can think of,” Elias said. “All the special moments in my family Anheli is in all the pictures. She’s pretty much family. The only thing that doesn’t connect us is blood.”
A community in mourning
Principal Debbie Cretella of Father Vincent Capodanno Catholic Academy in South Beach remembered the first grader as a “bright and gentle light,” within the school’s tight-knit community.
“Her joy was deeply felt by all who encountered her, and her kindness and warmth left a lasting impression on friends, classmates, teachers, and staff,” Cretella said. “Our entire school community unites in prayer for the soul of Anheli and holds her family close in our hearts during this unimaginably painful time.”
Cretella announced plans to dedicate a special place of remembrance for Anheli on the school’s grounds.
“In loving memory of Anheli, the school will create a special place of remembrance in our garden, marked by the blessing of a statue of Our Lady of Altagracia, patroness of the Dominican Republic, honoring Anheli’s family heritage,” Cretella said.
According to a Facebook post made by the school the remembrance ceremony will take place on Jan. 20.
“We invite all our students to wear Anheli’s favorite color, pink, as we dedicate a statue of Our Lady of Altagracia the patroness and protector of the Dominican Republic in Anheli’s honor,” the post said.
Commenters remembered Anheli as a child who “truly touched the hearts of everyone she came in contact with.”
Anheli’s cousin, Sandra Figueroa, created a GoFundMe on behalf of Trinidad to help give the little girl a “beautiful, dignified farewell.”
“She was tender, joyful, playful and so deeply loved. Losing her has broken us in ways we never imagined,” Figueroa said in the GoFundMe tribute section. “There is an emptiness in our home, in our arms and in our lives that can never be filled.”
“We were not prepared for this unimaginable pain, nor for the financial burden of giving Anheli the beautiful, dignified farewell she deserves,” says the online fundraiser’s description.
According to the GoFundMe the family hopes to raise $35,000 to help cover Anheli’s homegoing expenses as “a final act of love” for their little girl.
“Every gesture, every share, every prayer helps hold our family up as we try to navigate this unbearable loss,” Figueroa said on the fundraiser’s page. “Thank you for surrounding us with compassion, love, and strength during the darkest moment of our lives.”
As of this writing, nearly $29,000 of the fundraiser’s goal has been raised.
Anheli’s visitation will be held on Jan. 8 at Martin Hughes Funeral Home located at 530 Narrows Road South in Concord from 4 to 8 p.m.
Mass of the Christian Burial will be held Jan. 9 at Holy Rosary Church, 80 Jerome Ave. in South Beach, at 9:30 a.m.
The crash that killed two
As the Advance/SILive.com previously reported, police responded to a 911 call for a vehicle collision involving the Avila’s Honda SUV and an Audi SUV in the vicinity of Forest Hill Road and Rockland Avenue around 9:57 a.m. Friday.
According to the NYPD, a 50-year-old man was driving the Audi SUV.
At the time of the collision, the Audi SUV was traveling westbound on Rockland Avenue and attempting to make a left turn onto Forest Hill Road. The Avilas and Vasquez-Trinidad were traveling southbound on Forest Hill Road toward Richmond Hill Road.
Police have not released details about who was at fault.
Images of the aftermath showed the wreckage of the two vehicles near the intersection. Both SUVs suffered extensive visible damage to their front ends.
No arrests had been made in the case as of Wednesday afternoon, according to an NYPD spokesperson.