The bright green turf of Whitsett Fields Park has long been a joyful hub for youth soccer in Los Angeles, especially among immigrant families in the San Fernando Valley.
However, recent events have cast a shadow over this normally vibrant community.
Just last week, Mario Edgardo Garcia Aquino, a well-known coach and Salvadoran national, was charged with the murder of 13-year-old soccer player Oscar Omar Hernandez.
The allegations state that Garcia Aquino killed Hernandez during a lewd or attempted lewd act and subsequently disposed of the boy’s body in a roadside ditch in Ventura County.
Garcia Aquino has also been charged with sexually assaulting another teenager, and investigators suspect there are additional victims yet to come forward.
The tragic death of Omar has left many in the youth soccer community profoundly unsettled.
José Torres, president of the Proyecto 2000 Soccer League in the San Fernando Valley, stated, “We have never seen anything of this magnitude.”
This incident raises difficult questions about the scrutiny of individuals in positions of trust who work closely with children.
Families in the community are increasingly apprehensive, particularly against a backdrop of rising anti-immigrant sentiment and threats of deportation by the Trump administration.
This environment complicates the reporting of potential crimes, as many families fear the repercussions of coming forward.
Both the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department have assured that immigration status will not hinder anyone from reporting alleged sexual assaults.
Sheriff Robert Luna emphasized, “We’re not going to ask about that.”
In a troubling response, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security quickly seized upon Garcia Aquino’s immigration status following his charges.
A tweet from the DHS stated, “13 year-old Oscar ‘Omar’ Hernandez was an innocent child who was exploited and killed by this depraved illegal alien who should have never been in this country.”
The tweet continued with a commitment to hunt down and remove those described as “child predators, pedophiles and murderers from America’s communities.”
A flyer bearing the victim’s photo recently adorned a lamppost at Whitsett Fields Park, as concerned parents whispered to a Los Angeles Times reporter, making sure their children wouldn’t overhear.
One mother, who wished to remain anonymous, expressed her fear, questioning, “What good is it to tell my children not to talk to strangers if the person they have to fear is someone they know and trust?”
Iris Rodriguez, a vendor at the park selling bacon-wrapped hot dogs, shared her sorrow, describing how she had met Omar upon his arrival in California and became close with his family.
To her, his killing feels akin to a death in the family for many in the North Hollywood immigrant community.
Rodriguez said, “Everyone that is a mother is horrified about what happened, because how could a person do that?”
During a memorial service at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in East Hollywood, mourners wore black T-shirts displaying Omar’s photo along with the words “Forever 13” and the letters LLO, meaning Long Live Omar.
Friends and family remembered him as a gentle, trusting boy.
Omar had emigrated from the small town of Marcala in Honduras three years prior and was living in Los Angeles with his mother, Gladys Hernandez, while his father and siblings had already settled in the Sun Valley neighborhood.
Alejandra Hernandez, Omar’s older sister, recounted how she would often warn him about overly trusting people.
She said, “He came from Honduras and we grew up there in the countryside, so we don’t have people like that there, people who are so bad, so crazy.”
An avid soccer player and fan of Real Madrid and Lionel Messi, Omar had played for Huracan Valley Soccer Club, which is where he crossed paths with Garcia Aquino.
In the aftermath of Omar’s death, many officials have disclosed a troubling history of complaints against Garcia Aquino, who managed to evade background checks and criminal charges in the past.
This has left a sense of unease among those who knew both the victim and the accused.
Arcelia Martinez, a family friend and parent of a student at Sun Valley Magnet School, expressed a communal grief, saying, “We have to support one another at this time.”
Martinez echoed sentiments felt deeply throughout the community—one that spans Central, South, and North America.
“We’re all just the same people and only God can take away a life,” she lamented.
Classmates described Omar as someone eager to support his family as soon as he could begin working.
His friend, 12-year-old Magavi Davila, tearfully shared, “He was like my brother because he usually told me that I was like his sister.”
Omar’s family faced devastating grief as they carried his gray casket out of the church.
His mother, distraught, appeared to collapse as they approached the hearse, while family members wailed together on the sidewalk, bidding farewell to the young boy.
His older brother, Josué Hernandez, grasped Omar’s blue soccer jersey tightly as the hearse departed.
The last time Omar’s family saw him was when he boarded a Metrolink train to meet Garcia Aquino at the coach’s home in Lancaster.
He was going to help Garcia Aquino create soccer jerseys, according to family reports.
When Omar did not return home, his family reported him missing on March 30.
Later that day, the coach answered Omar’s brother’s phone call, stating the boy was busy and couldn’t talk.
Subsequently, the boy’s father, Daniel Hernandez, called Garcia Aquino to insist he return Omar near their home.
Authorities used data from cellphones and other tracking systems to trace Garcia Aquino near the Santa Clara River and McGrath State Beach, according to law enforcement sources.
Following Omar’s death, his family received an outpouring of love and support, but they have also been met with criticism and blame via social media posts.
Alejandra Hernandez voiced her frustration about the backlash, sharing her thoughts on societal perceptions: “You just have to focus. You don’t know people, you don’t know how evil people can really be.”
The family lacked knowledge of the history of complaints against Garcia Aquino and how he managed to circumvent background checks while working as a traveling soccer coach in independent leagues.
Following his arrest, prosecutors charged Garcia Aquino with assault and performing a lewd act on a 14-year-old boy in December 2022, but charges were not filed at that time because the alleged victim refused to testify.
Some soccer officials expressed concerns about Garcia Aquino over the years, noting he had avoided complying with background verification requirements.
Marco Carballo, president of the Naciones Unidas Soccer League, expressed his sentiments after years of working in local soccer, stating, “We can’t trust anyone.”
Carballo remarked that, in his extensive experience, he had never witnessed a tragedy like Omar’s death.
He continued, “There are a lot of people in fear,” underscoring the wider implications that this incident holds for the community.
He also recounted how about eight years ago, Garcia Aquino wanted to join his club but refused to undergo necessary background checks.
Álvaro Chávez, director and president of U.S. Soccer-affiliated Spartans FC, further confirmed that Garcia Aquino was barred from his club due to his refusal to submit fingerprints required by youth associations.
Chávez described how Garcia Aquino worked as a team sports director, though the actual paperwork was filled out by other coaches to ensure that his name would not appear.
Despite this, he still remained involved on the sidelines at tournaments.
Chávez opined that most independent leagues lack the critical background checks mandated by official associations.
He emphasized, “The local leagues need to require fingerprints, the coach’s record.”
Jorge Rodriguez, president of the California State Soccer League, recounted how Garcia Aquino was once affiliated with his league but had to be disaffiliated in 2022 after a warning triggered by an LAPD investigation.
Although he was never formally charged at that time, Rodriguez insisted on distancing the coach from minors until the matter was resolved.
Garcia Aquino denied the accusations.
In summary, the tragic death of Oscar Omar Hernandez has sent ripples of fear and uncertainty throughout the tightly-knit youth soccer community in the San Fernando Valley.
His memory continues to resonate, causing many to question safety protocols and the need for stricter measures to protect youth players from potential predators in the sport.
image source from：https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-04-18/teen-slaying-devastates-l-a-immigrant-community
