Family wants to improve safety at Ridgefield intersection where 15-year-old was killed

On the evening of April 14, 15-year-old Serenity Law was fatally hit by a car at the intersection of Shaler Boulevard and Edgewater Avenue in Ridgefield.

In the aftermath, Law's mother Miriam Peguero has started a petition, calling on local authorities to take action on safety measures at the intersection where her daughter was hit. The petition on Change.org was started on April 19 and has received over 2,800 signatures.

Charges have not been filed on the person who hit Law, according to her family members.

"Despite the presence of cameras, drivers continue to speed and fail to proceed with caution when the traffic light turns yellow," says the petition. "This is not just about my daughter's life that was cut short; it's about all those who risk their lives every day crossing this dangerous intersection."

The petition is calling on local authorities, specifically the Ridgefield mayor, City Council members, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to take immediate action in making this intersection safer. According to Law's family members, safety measures could include installing speed bumps, enhancing driver visibility through better lighting or clearer signage, and increased police presence at the intersection, among other things.

"No one has patience and people are being killed and causing bodily injuries to other humans as if a vehicle is not a deadly weapon, but it is," said Law's father, Cordero Law, who said that he sees people run red lights at this intersection far too often.

"I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the 15-year-old girl," said Ridgefield Mayor Hugo Jiminez in a statement to NorthJersey.com. "The Prosecutor's Office is actively investigating the matter, and in respect for the ongoing investigation and the family, I am unable to comment further at this moment. As a community, we stand united in support during this challenging time for the family."

Overall, pedestrian fatalities have remained high in recent years. In 2022, there were 7,508 pedestrian deaths in the United States, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association. This is up from the previous year in 2021 where the NHTSA reported 7,388 nationwide fatalities, a 13% increase from 2020.

One study used data from the NHTSA's fatality analysis reporting system and determined that New Jersey is the most dangerous state in the country for pedestrians with 30.3% of all fatalities being pedestrians compared to the national figure of 17.3%.

According to data from the New Jersey State Police, there were 173 pedestrian fatalities in 2023. In 2024 there have been 70.

Peguero said that she has spoken to the mayor since the petition went live. As of now, there is a traffic light and cameras in the intersection, but putting in certain additional measures such as a speed bump would not be ideal, the mayor told her. Additionally, it is a county road which, according to Peguero "is probably going to be another battle."

As signatures continue to come in, she hopes to work with local organizations such as Bergen County Complete Streets, the town, and potentially the county to figure out what can be done to make the intersection safer.

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"For the people that have signed it I appreciate it greatly. If anyone could, when you sign it also asks you if you wanted to donate some money toward it to get the petition out there more," said Peguero.

"For the people that haven't signed it yet, I just encourage them to sign it because this is a tragedy that honestly no parent ever would want to go through. I would never wish this pain on anyone. If there is something that we can do to make this better, it would be greatly appreciated."

Originally from Passaic, Peguero and her husband, Serenity's stepdad, moved to Ridgefield, where Serenity's father and stepmother live, less than a year ago.

When talking about Serenity, Peguero, Cordero Law, and Serenity's stepmother Guisela Camilo speak with the same tone of love and admiration. They describe her as sweet and vibrant, outgoing and independent, and as somebody who could make anybody's day.

She had planned this summer to work as a lifeguard and was looking forward to taking driver's education during the next school year, already talking about the kind of car she wanted.

Athletic and with great grades, Serenity loved animals, fashion, and music. Peguero said that she was always playing music and always dancing, a scene that is currently deeply missed in the house.

Another thing that she loved was her family and friends with a slew of siblings, four loving parents, and numerous cousins, aunts and uncles.

"She just had so many plans for herself," said Peguero. "She was very well rounded and loved so much."

"She was my princess and I love her like crazy," said Cordero Law. "She was only in Ridgefield for four months and she had so much love and support from Ridgefield as if she was raised there so that shows how much she impacted everyone's lives."

Numerous signers of the petition have left comments describing their reasons for signing, echoing support for increased safety measures on Ridgefield roads as well as their sentiments toward Serenity and her family.

"I just want people to be careful. I have been on that corner after the incident, and I've seen so many people speed up to beat a red light. I understand that people have places to go ... you don't know why people are speeding. But just be cautious, be aware of your surroundings," said Peguero. "People are just trying to enjoy their lives and just enjoy when they can go outside and go home. No one ever expects to go through a tragedy like this. So that's what I would say is for people to be more careful, and pay attention to what they're doing ... This is something that I feel like is a nightmare that I just can't wake up out of."

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Ridgefield NJ family wants to improve safety where girl died