18-year-old loses control of stolen car in fatal crash that kills four, Ohio cops say
Two 14-year-olds, an 18-year-old and a 19-year-old in Ohio died when the stolen car they were riding in struck trees and “was torn apart,” news outlets reported.
The high-speed crash was captured on security cameras at 12:45 a.m. March 12 in a residential neighborhood of Cleveland, WOIO reported. The car was “obliterated,” according to EMS responders, and the three passengers were thrown from the car, while the 18-year-old driver died behind the wheel, according to the outlet.
“It struck two trees, and the vehicle was torn apart at the scene,” Cleveland Police Chief Annie Todd said in an interview recorded by WKYC.
The medical examiner identified the victims, all Cleveland residents, as 19-year-old Caurie Williams, 18-year-old Eddy Deandre Bonner, 14-year-old Kalise McGee and 14-year-old Tamera Davis, according to WJW. All four were pronounced dead after the crash, the outlet reported.
The car, a Hyundai Sonata, was reported stolen Feb. 27 from a residence about five miles away, according to WOIO.
Kenneth Boyle, a neighbor who heard the crash and shared his surveillance footage with WEWS, told the outlet he suspects the victims died on impact.
“It’s hard to see, especially when they’re young kids,” Boyle told the outlet.
He said speeding is all-too common on the street where the crash occurred, which has a posted speed limit of 25 miles per hour.
Todd said it’s not clear how fast the vehicle was going when the driver lost control.
“If you had an opportunity to see the results of the crash, you know they had been going at a high rate of speed,” Todd told WKYC.
WEWS reported that debris from the crash was strewn across several neighbors’ yards.
Todd said security footage showed the car driving throughout the city the night before the crash. No cars were near it when the wreck occurred, she said.
