Las Vegas Teen Killed After Hitting Cable Purposely Stretched Across Bike Trail

A 16-year-old was killed while biking on a designated bike trail after hitting a cable that was pulled taut across the path.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police said Angel Naranjo was on his mini bike when it collided with the stretched cable, which was affixed between a pole and fence and pulled across the roadway, FOX5 reported.

He was biking in front of his brother when the cable struck him in his neck, the news station reported.

The impact knocked the teenager off his bike, and witnesses told police he was briefly sitting up against a wall. The Las Vegas Wash trail, where the deadly incident occurred, has a reputation for being dangerous, Angel’s friend, John Lemarr, told the news station.

“He was a child, and he wasn’t out trying to harm anybody. And you’ll pay for what you did, whether it’s this life or next,” Lemarr told the outlet of whoever rigged the cable. “It’s a culture problem right now, life isn’t valued. It’s a struggle we’re all going through, that somebody’s little boy died.”

A GoFundMe page was set up to support the boy’s family. It raised $22,670, surpassing its $20,000 goal. 

“Always outgoing, Angel was the type of kid who made everyone feel welcome at his home, at his school, and everywhere he went,” the GoFundMe description reads. “No matter how his day was going, he always stopped to say ‘Good morning!’ to his teachers and checked in on his friends and the people around him.”