High school football star, 18, killed with three friends after his speeding car flips over - just hours before their graduation
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An 18-year-old high school student and three of his friends have died after his speeding car hit train tracks - just hours before he was due to graduate.
Jeffrey Chaya, from Brunswick, Ohio, hit the hidden tracks in the early hours of Sunday morning, becoming airborne before his car hit a ditch and tree. The vehicle came to a stop on its roof.
The crash claimed the lives of Chaya and three of his friends - one of whom was also set to graduate from Brunswick High School on Sunday - and hospitalised one more.
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Victims: Jeffrey Chaya, left, was driving four passengers when his car hit railway tracks and landed on its roof. He was killed along with his friend of eight years and fellow football player Blake Bartchak, right
It came just hours after Chaya, who played at his high school, posted on Twitter: 'Weird to think graduation is tomorrow time does fly big time.'
The teenagers were remembered with a moment of silence and speeches as 600 students attended their commencement ceremonies held at the University of Akron.
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ShareThe empty seats where Chaya and his classmate Kevin Fox were supposed to be sitting were covered with flowers, while students paused for silent prayers as their names were called.
The teenagers were travelling west through Columbia Township at high speeds in Chaya's 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier at 12.11 a.m. when it crossed the railroad and launched into the air.
Killed: Lexi Poerner, 16, pictured left and right, was also killed in the crash. Her boyfriend Kevin Fox, pictured, was transported to hospital following the crash but died on Monday morning
Grief: Brunswick High School students console each other at the crash site near Brunswick, Ohio
Young love: Poerner is pictured with Fox, who was also due to graduate from high school on Sunday
When it landed, Chaya lost control, hitting a ditch and tree before the Cavalier came to a stop on its roof. Along with Chaya, Blake Bartchak, 17, and Lexi Poerner, 16, were also killed in the crash.
Poerner's boyfriend Kevin Fox, 18, who was also due to graduate on Sunday, was thrown from his backseat out of the car.
He was transported to hospital but his family revealed on Monday morning that he too had died.
A fifth victim, 17-year-old Julia Romito, remains at Southwest General Hospital, which would would not release information on her condition.
Friends swarmed the crash site, leaving flowers and cards for the teenagers who were killed.
The crash remains under investigation, but a police release stated that unsafe speed is known to be a factor in the crash. Photographs after the accident show the teen's crumpled Cavalier.
Holding on: Julia Romito, 17, was also injured in the crash and remains in hospital
Cause: Chaya's speeding car became airborne after it hit train tracks (pictured), which are on a small bump
Harrowing: When the car landed, it hit this ditch and tree before coming to a stop on its roof in the road
Brunswick Schools Superintendent Michael Mayell said the students were well known at school and took part in school activities and volunteering.
'They were very popular students, very well-liked,' he said. 'We've always been a very tight-knit community. It's one of those things that happens that I just don't get.'
Of the graduation ceremony, he said: 'It was very sad. There were a lot of tears.'
Family members have also paid tribute to the victims. Chaya's mother Paula said the youngster had so many 'best friends', she couldn't name them all.
'He just loved being around his friends, and he had a ton of people who loved him,' she told The Plain Dealer.
Mourning: Friends have flocked to the scene to lay down flowers and cards in remembrance of the teenagers
Damage: Chaya's car was crushed as it came to a stop on its roof. Police know speeding was a factor
Investigation: Police have yet to determine whether alcohol or drugs played a factor in the crash
Andrew Videgar, 17, who played football with Chaya, said he 'was never mean to anybody. He always had a smile.'
Football, where he played wide receiver throughout high school, 'was basically his life,' his mother said.
She added that he had planed to become a physical education teacher after Cleveland State University, so that he could work with children. He volunteered as a Big Brother in the community.
'I think it is important to always give 110 percent, no matter what you do. I've always been a hard worker, I don't give up and I never will,' Chaya told the school newspaper in February.
His parents added that Chaya and another victim, Blake Bartchak, had been close since they met in fourth grade.
Missed: Chaya's parents (left) remembered him as a popular student devoted to football and volunteering
Sadness: Colin Curtis, left and Sobhit Haribakthi, right, grieve during a service for their schoolmates
Grief: Lexi Poerner's friends (L-R) Angel Smith, Samantha Aborub, and Charlotte Sigel mourn during a candlelight service for the teenagers
Speaking to The Plain Dealer, Lexi Poerner's father Jim described his daughter as 'an all-around bubbly girl'. She had dreams of going to college, but hoped to stay close to her family, he said.
'She was very thoughtful,' he went on. 'Lexi always knew what to do and what to say. She knew how to make the grandmas smile.'
Bartchak's father Bob remembered his son as 'an all-around free-spirited kid', who was inseparable from Chaya, with whom he played football and worked in a grocery store.
'He was friends with everybody. He loved life. He was looking forward to his senior year,' he said.
Grief counselors met with students at the high school following the ceremony. Memorial services were held on Sunday evening at a church and a performing arts center.
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