The Natrona neighborhood’s grief over the death of a hearing-impaired 11-year-old girl was mixed with anger over the girl’s alleged reckless driving.

Roxanne Alexis Bonnoni died on North Canal Street, just steps from her home, after she was struck by a Jeep Patriot while crossing the street shortly before 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

A photo of her was embedded in a memorial of stuffed animals and flowers that grew throughout Wednesday at the nearest intersection with Kuntz Street.

“She was a ray of light and a beautiful soul,” said Shateara Holyfield, who attended the memorial service with her daughter Shy (11). “She was my daughter’s first best friend. The girl was very loving.”

Payton Hursh, 15, had trained Roxanne since she was a child at the Fun and Freedom summer camp.

“She was a friendly, sweet little girl full of energy,” she said. “She made everyone smile when she walked into a room.”

Payton’s sister Olivia, 13, was closer to Roxanne’s younger sister, but knew and played with both.

“She was always nice to everyone,” Olivia said. “I wish this hadn’t happened to her. She didn’t deserve to go through this. No one deserves this.”

At some point Wednesday morning, Roxanne’s mother, Amber Bonnoni, came out onto her porch sobbing. She glanced briefly down the street at the memorial and the site of the collision before heading back inside.

In a later interview with reporters, Bonnoni said Roxanne would dress up as a police officer for Halloween.

“We only got her costume two days ago. She was running around excitedly with it,” Bonnoni said. “She did that on that day.”

Roxanne’s father, Tony Cszimadia, said his daughter was loving, caring, beautiful and smart.

“She loved art and loved dogs and animals, loved everyone,” he said. “She never had anything bad to say about anyone. She was a great kid.”

Bonnoni said the driver ruined her life.

“Not a day or a moment will go by that I don’t think of my daughter,” she said, her younger daughter clinging to her side.

Roxanne is scheduled to start sixth grade at the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf next week, said principal Kevin McDonough. She previously attended the DePaul School for Hearing and Speech.

Roxanne had hearing loss, but McDonough didn’t know to what extent.

“She had recently participated in our summer camp and extended school year program, and we were excited to welcome her back to campus this fall,” he said. “Although our time with Roxanne was brief, her vibrant personality and beautiful smile left a lasting impression on all of us.”

Allegheny County police said the driver, whose name was not released, remained at the scene after the crash. Detectives are investigating and will work with the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office to determine whether charges will be filed.

North Canal heads out of Harrison’s Natrona neighborhood toward Springhill Road, which climbs into Natrona Heights. Heading down the hill, the road levels out and passes several blocks of homes before making a 90-degree turn toward the more densely built-up area of ​​Natrona.

Some signs warn drivers to watch for children. There is one stop sign in the area, at Kuhnert Street. The speed limit is 25 miles per hour and parking is not permitted on either side of the street.

Many neighborhood children play on a lawn across the street from Roxanne’s house on North Canal Street, says Jessica DeVita, who has lived there for 10 years.

“There’s not much for them to do here,” she said.

Jack Howard was behind his house next door to North Canal and said he heard the impact.

“I heard someone screaming. I ran forward and saw the girl lying in the street,” he said. “I definitely didn’t want to see that.”

Howard said he caught the driver on the phone while sitting in the passenger seat of his vehicle and told him he had hit a little girl. Howard said the driver never asked him if the girl was OK, nor did he respond when asked if he was OK.

“I told him to park the car and give me the keys,” Howard said. “I didn’t want him to leave.”

Howard said he gave the keys to a police officer and saw the man being arrested.

Harrison Police Chief Brian Turack said he would not comment on the investigation because it was being led by county police.

Turack said he met Roxanne during Earth Day cleanups.

“She was a bright young girl,” he said. “She was very dedicated to her community and to her father and mother.”

Howard, who has lived there for nearly 21 years, said he and other neighbors have complained to Harrison authorities for 15 years about people speeding on North Canal and ignoring the stop sign at Kuhnert, but nothing has been done.

“It’s going to happen again. There are a lot of kids playing down there on North Canal Street,” he said. “Cars have jumped the sidewalk and almost hit people. It’s a dangerous stretch of road.”

Jason Seibert said he and other neighbors would yell at people who ignored the stop sign on Kuhnert Street and speeded past their homes, claiming they were going 50 to 60 miles per hour.

“People race up and down this street all the time,” he said. “If you sit here long enough, you’ll see it.”

Howard said the Jeep that struck Roxanne came to a stop 30 to 50 feet away from her. He said he saw no skid marks.

Seibert, who lives across the street, had to stop working on Wednesday. He has a 13-year-old daughter and a 10-year-old son.

“My daughter and I sat awake all night crying. She was very emotional,” said Seibert. “I cried. That could have been my daughter.”

Seibert and others said that only speed bumps or speed humps would slow drivers down. When they tried their own methods, such as putting up cones, they were reprimanded for obstructing traffic.

“They fly up and down here,” says Walt Sproat, who owns an apartment building in the area and calls Cszimadia a friend. “We need four speed bumps to slow them down.”

Harrison Township Manager Amy Rockwell did not respond to a request for comment.

Sproat expressed sympathy and said the community was doing its best.

“Harrison Township cannot house a man here 24 hours a day,” he said.

Unlike Seibert and Howard, Sproat does not yell at the drivers.

“You shouldn’t scream because then they might start shooting at you,” he said.

Local resident Chris Harcina called the road situation “ridiculous.”

“It’s tragic what happened to my neighbor. It should never have happened,” he said.

If the community doesn’t take action, Howard will, he says.

“If I have to park my truck on the North Canal to make the cars slow down, then I have to do it,” he said. “And I will pay the tickets.”