Street racing suspected in Dearborn Heights crash that killed 16-year-old
Fatal street racing crash kills 16-year-old leaving friend heartbroken
A 16-year-old fatally crashed into a building on Ford Road near Telegraph during a street race.
DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich. (FOX 2) - A teen is dead after slamming into a Dearborn Heights building Thursday night.
Police said speed is a factor, and street racing was involved in the crash that happened around 11 p.m. on Ford Road just east of Telegraph.
Investigators tracked down the other street racer, an 18-year-old male, ticketed him and impounded his car.
On Friday Hussein Jaber was back at the scene where his friend was killed.
"(It's) shocking, jaw dropping, unbelievable. When I first saw it I kept telling myself it wasn’t him," he said. "What do you get? A 10, 20-second thrill. It’s fun, you’re speeding, two seconds later he lost his life."
The backstory:
The 16-year-old driver was headed west on Ford when he lost control and hit a building.
Police are working to determine how fast the teens were driving while security video shows the cars speeding down the road right before the crash.
"It is with deep sadness that we acknowledge the tragic passing of one of our youth, a beloved member of our community of Dearborn and Dearborn Heights who was involved in a fatal accident last night. Our hearts go out to their family, friends, and all those affected by this heartbreaking loss," acting Dearborn Heights Police Chief Ahmed Haidar wrote in a statement.
What you can do:
Police are urging parents to talk to their children about dangerous driving, such as speeding and using a phone behind the wheel.
"We encourage all parents to have open, frank and ongoing conversations with your children about the dangers and consequences of reckless or distracted driving, speeding, and the importance of wearing seatbelts at all times," Haidar said. "Consider setting clear expectations, such as limiting nighttime driving, and never using a cell phone while behind the wheel."
Jaber hopes other young people will learn from this tragedy.
"You live and you learn - like I said, (it's) a wake-up call for all of us and I think we need to start being smarter not just with driving but with other decisions in life," he said. "You don’t expect ever to die at 16 - people like live until they're 80 years old. To die at 16 is really crazy, just having fun - until something really serious like this happens."
The Source: Information from a Dearborn Heights police press release and an interview with a friend of the victim contributed to this report.
