JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The family and best friend of a 27-year-old Jacksonville woman killed in a hit-and-run crash spoke out about her life and the hole her death has left behind.
Savana Pendarvis died after investigators said a driver in a Dodge Challenger, speeding along University Boulevard, slammed into her car in January. The impact sent her vehicle into a telephone pole, where it burst into flames.
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The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is now searching for Alexander Rivera-Russo in connection with the crash.
For those who loved Savana, the loss is still hard to process.
Her brother, Dylan Pendarvis, described her as someone who showed up — not just with words, but with action.
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“She was the most loving person, down to earth,” Dylan said. “She gave to people who never really had it. She always looked out for other people.”
He said she was a constant presence for his young family, helping with formula, diapers, and whatever else they needed. “She’s done so much for me and my little family,” he said.
Her best friend, Tatiana, said Savana had a rare ability to see people for who they truly were — even strangers.
“She was the kind of person that she could know you for 10 minutes and see right through you,” Tatiana said. “She had a way of just — when she gave you advice, it’s like she was cutting to the core of who you were as a person.”
Tatiana described their friendship as something that picked up right where it left off, no matter how much time had passed.
“That was like my twin, my soulmate,” Tatiana said. “We would have our own friend groups because we were still in different grades, but it always was like, we’re hanging out and it’s like, no time has passed.”
A family member captured what made Savana’s presence so hard to replace: “Everyone could use a Savana in their lives, and everybody deserves to be loved in the same way, without judgment. Because that was the kind of person she was.”
According to her family, Savana was a recent graduate with plans for her future. She was also a caregiver to her grandmother, who raised her after Savana’s mother died at 5 years old.
For Dylan, Savana lives on through his daughter.
“My little girl, she’s everything about Savannah,” he said. “She reminds me every bit, so knowing I have my little girl next to my side, I know Savana will be there.”