Zach Anderson‘s teenage son was a gifted baseball player and the two bonded over sports, going to professional football and baseball games together.

But James Anderson, one of Wheaton High School’s most promising athletes, was much more than a sports buddy to his friends.

“He had a gift with connecting with people,” Anderson said. “Since he’s passed and we’ve had friends of his coming over and pay their respects, I’ve realized how many kids he’s touched off the field. Multiple kids saying things like, ‘James is the only kid who understood me.’”

Now James is gone.

The 16-year-old died Sunday night when a driver fatally struck him as he crossed busy University Boulevard in Kensington.

The deadly collision occurred about 100 yards from Anderson’s home while the boy was headed to a nearby 7-Eleven.

Zach Anderson, 45, reminisced Wednesday about what he loved to do with his firstborn.

“I never had to go out to a bar to watch a game because I could always watch with my best friend right here,” Anderson said from his home on Wednesday, his eyes welling with tears.

James was a junior at Wheaton High School, where he pitched for the varsity squad. The teen, who stood 6’1 with flowing red hair, was on track to be the team’s top pitcher.

An abrupt end

The crash occurred at approximately 9:14 p.m. near University Boulevard West and St. Paul Street, police said.

First responders arrived on scene and found the boy in the roadway.

“Despite lifesaving efforts, he was pronounced deceased at the scene,” police said.

An investigation determined the teen was crossing the westbound lanes of University Boulevard West when he was struck by a Nissan Murano headed west, police said.

Police told The Banner the driver of the Murano stayed on the scene. Police had not announced any charges related to the crash. On Wednesday, police said there were no updates on the case.

Anderson vividly recalls the last moments of his son’s life.

James had shouted from a staircase up to his parents’ room that he was headed to the 7-Eleven, Anderson said.

About two minutes later, Anderson said, he heard a loud crash.

“He’s crossed that street 1,000 times,” Anderson said. “And so we hear that bang, and I look out and I don’t see an accident. And I see something going on down the road. And my wife and I run out, and we’re running up the road.”

“I just start praying and yelling, ‘Please, no. Please, no.’ And he’s down. He’s down on the road. And I don’t know what to do, I’m flipping out.”

Anderson said paramedics arrived on scene about a minute after he reached his son. About 10 minutes later, Anderson said, James was pronounced dead on scene.

Coping

Anderson declined to comment about whether he holds animosity toward the driver or believes charges should be filed.

He said there are often serious crashes at the intersection where his son died. Authorities, he said, need to fix the problem.

“What my family is going through is unimaginable,” Anderson said, sitting at a table in his home. “I don’t want to see any other family have to go through this.”

James’ mother, Catherine Anderson, an elementary teacher in Montgomery County, declined to comment at length Wednesday, saying it was too early for her to talk about her son.

She added that there will be a time in the future for the family to talk about the dangerousness of the intersection and what can be done about it.

“We can be part of that conversation,” she said. “But this week, we are really focusing on grieving for our son.”

There have been 11 pedestrian fatalities on county streets this year, according to police. There were 16 pedestrian deaths in 2024.

A pedestrian was also killed Tuesday night in Wheaton near eastbound Veirs Mill Road at Ennalls Avenue. A 52-year-old woman died in that hit-and-run, police said.

Anderson said he is coping with the support of friends and family, including his 13-year-old daughter.

“Thank God she has us, and we have her,” he said.

Anderson added that he’s choosing to remember the good times, rather than dwell on the opportunities his son will miss.

“He was the best son we could have ever asked for — for 16 years,” Anderson said. “Those memories, that’s what we’re going to try and lean on to get us through.”

James’ memorial service will be held from 10 a.m. until noon on Oct. 11 at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Kensington.