A community is in mourning after a 15-year-old boy was struck and killed while walking on the Southern State Parkway Thursday afternoon.

According to New York State Police, the incident occurred at approximately 1:15 p.m. near Exit 13 in Valley Stream.

The teenager, identified as Christopher Williams of Saint Albans, Queens, was reportedly on foot when he was hit by a vehicle traveling on the highway.

He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Police say he had gone missing from Martin de Porres School for Exceptional Children in Elmont, a school for special needs children less than a mile from the crash site.

Residents near the crash site expressed sorrow and disbelief over the tragic loss of life.

Termaine Garden, who lives just steps from where the collision occurred, said he was home at the time and heard the screeching of tires followed by a heavy police presence.

"I saw the police activity. I saw Nassau County, I saw state troopers," Garden said. "It’s notorious. There’s always accidents, car accidents any time of night. Hear a lot of accidents, hear a lot of tire screeching."

The circumstances surrounding why Williams was walking on the highway remain unclear.

The Southern State Parkway, known for its high-speed traffic and frequent accidents, is not meant for pedestrian use, raising further questions about how the teen ended up on the roadway.

As police investigated, multiple lanes of the parkway were shut down for several hours but have since reopened. News 12 tried contacting the Martin de Porres School multiple times but has not heard back yet.