16 YEAR OLD ALINA CRUZ DIES FROM CAR CRASH AFTER ARIVING LATE… 🚘 At 9:42 p.m., 16-year-old Alina Cruz left her friend’s house after a quiet movie night, still holding the half-finished bag of candy they’d been sharing. She texted her mom as she turned onto Maple Street: “I’m almost home ❤️.” It was only a three-minute walk. She never made it. Witnesses say a speeding car came down the street without slowing, the sound of tires screeching cutting through the night. By the time anyone reached the sidewalk, Alina was lying just a few houses away from her own front door. Her phone had slipped from her hand, the screen still lit up with that final message—delivered, but never answered. Her mother, Elena Cruz, had been standing in the kitchen waiting, her daughter’s favorite late-night snack already set out on the counter. “She always told me when she was close,” she said, holding back tears. “I saw the message and thought, okay, she’ll be here any second.” Minutes turned into an hour. Calls went unanswered. By the time there was a knock on the door, everything had already changed. Neighbors have since placed candles and flowers along the curb where it happened. Friends describe Alina as quiet but kind, someone who never forgot birthdays and always walked others home first, even if it made her own trip longer. Her backpack now sits untouched by the front door, her shoes still kicked off by the stairs like she had just come home—except she didn’t. Police are still searching for the driver, who left the scene. Meanwhile, a family is left staring at a message that was supposed to mean “I’m safe.” Instead, it became the last thing she ever said