“Did I Hit an Animal?” | The Tragic Ethan Gonzalez Case

Ethan Gonzalez was 21. He worked at Happy Joe's Pizza for three years. His manager said he would have changed the world. Anthony Castaneda was 18. He was from Moline. Everyone who knew him said he was an awesome kid. They were best friends. On May 22, at 2 AM, they were standing on the I-74 Bridge pedestrian path in the Quad Cities. The path had been open for four days. It had no barriers to stop vehicles from entering. A woman drove her SUV onto the pedestrian path from the Iowa side. She traveled the entire length of the walkway. She struck three people near the Moline entrance. Ethan was gone at the scene. Anthony fought for four days. He didn't survive. On the bodycam, the driver asked five times if she hit an animal. When officers told her the truth, she said: "I killed somebody's baby." She was right. She killed two. She was sentenced to 20 years. The city paid $2.4 million. Their photos still hang on the bridge. This is their story. Not hers. Theirs. ⚠️ All footage from Moline Police Department. ⚠️ Disclaimer: This video is produced for educational and documentary purposes only. It aims to raise awareness, provide public insight, and examine real-life criminal cases using publicly available footage and information.