\u201cShe was love and light to everyone around her. Everything in our house is pink because it was Anheli\u2019s favorite color,\u201d Trinidad said.<\/p>\n
According to Trinidad, her daughter was a true girly-girl who loved the color pink, unicorns, long hair, getting her nails done.<\/p>\n
The crash has shattered Anheli\u2019s family and Staten Island\u2019s tight-knit Dominican American community.<\/p>\n
Trinidad remembered her daughter as an intelligent child who had a big heart and was fluent in two languages.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe had a huge heart, was super intelligent, spoke two languages and could read in both,\u201d Trinidad said. \u201cShe had a great memory. She remembered her address and all of her my information. She was always very mature for her age.\u201d<\/p>\n
Born in Staten Island to Dominican parents and a large extended family, Anheli was proud to be Dominican. <\/p>\n
\u201cShe loved her father and I very much; Anheli was a family-oriented child,\u201d Trinidad said. \u201cEveryday she would tell us she loved us and we loved her too.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"New](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1767828308_630_UHTVBOTACFEUPK6UF4YI5EYQTY.png\")
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<\/p>\n
Anheli was in the backseat<\/a> of Gerardo\u2019s Honda SUV, accompanying the couple to Gerardo\u2019s appointment at a cancer treatment center<\/a> located on Richmond Avenue when the tragic crash occurred, his son Elias Avila told the Advance\/SILive.com.<\/p>\n Anheli was pronounced dead at the hospital following the Friday morning collision in New Springville,<\/a> according to police.<\/p>\n Perla, 70, was driving the SUV at the time of the crash.<\/a> She was admitted to the ICU and is \u201ccurrently recovering and continues to heal both physically and emotionally,\u201d said Elias.<\/p>\n The Avila family has created a GoFundMe campaign to help cover Gerardo\u2019s homegoing expenses. It can be found by visiting gofundme.com<\/a> and searching \u201cGerardo Avila.\u201d<\/p>\n Gerardo and Perla frequently babysat Anheli and considered her a granddaughter, though they were not related by blood, said Elias. <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cShe was a very loving little girl. She was attached to my family, to me. I loved her dearly,\u201d Elias said. \u201cMy 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Elias remembered Anheli as a smart little girl who loved to read and share her chores and hobbies with them.<\/p>\n \u201cAnheli helped us transition into becoming actual parents,\u201d Elias somberly reflected.<\/p>\n According to Elias, Trinidad is devastated by the loss.<\/p>\n Anheli and her family attended Gerardo\u2019s 90th birthday party in October, Elias noted.<\/p>\n \u201cAnheli and her family were part of the family. They were there in every picture I can think of,\u201d Elias said. \u201cAll the special moments in my family Anheli is in all the pictures. She\u2019s pretty much family. The only thing that doesn\u2019t connect us is blood.\u201d<\/p>\n A community in mourning<\/p>\n Principal Debbie Cretella of Father Vincent Capodanno Catholic Academy in South Beach remembered the first grader as a \u201cbright and gentle light,\u201d within the school\u2019s tight-knit community.<\/p>\n \u201cHer joy was deeply felt by all who encountered her, and her kindness and warmth left a lasting impression on friends, classmates, teachers, and staff,\u201d Cretella said. \u201cOur entire school community unites in prayer for the soul of Anheli and holds her family close in our hearts during this unimaginably painful time.\u201d<\/p>\n Cretella announced plans to dedicate a special place of remembrance for Anheli on the school\u2019s grounds.<\/p>\n \u201cIn 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\u2019s family heritage,\u201d Cretella said.<\/p>\n![\"Gerardo](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1767828309_878_B6GBKGSGPVEPHG6RFVTBQR54TY.jpg\")
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<\/p>\n