Girl in crash dies after life support cut; teen driver killed. Cops say he was fleeing
Jazmin Keltz, a 14-year-old girl who initially survived after a harrowing crash killed the 15-year-old driver she was with, died Friday after she was disconnected from life support, her family’s attorney said.
Since the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday morning, when the crash occurred, Jazmin was in critical condition undergoing several surgeries at HCA Florida Kendall Trauma Center, attorney Michael Feiler said.
“Jazmin’s family had to make the tough decision of disconnecting her from life-support,” Feiler wrote in an email to the Miami Herald. He confirmed doctors’ determination that she was brain-dead.
“The Keltz family thanks the community for the outpouring of support in this very difficult time,” he said. “We look forward to finding out how and why this happened and we will leave no stone unturned.”
Jazmin was a freshman at John A. Ferguson Senior High School in West Kendall, where sophomore Anthony Gago, 15, the driver who died in the crash, also went to school.
Police say Anthony was fleeing from Miami-Dade cops when the Audi he was driving rammed into a concrete pillar under an overpass of Florida’s Turnpike. Jazmin was his passenger.
What led to the crash?
Around 2 a.m. Wednesday, officers responded to a call about a “suspicious vehicle,” police said.
Officers say they caught sight of Anthony’s Audi, which matched the description, driving east at a high rate of speed on Miller Drive near Southwest 123rd Avenue.
When police caught up to the Audi and turned on emergency lights, the driver sped up and crashed into the concrete pillar on Miller Drive at Florida’s Turnpike between Southwest 118th and 117th avenues, according to Miami-Dade Police spokesman Alvaro Zabaleta.
READ MORE: Ferguson High students in fatal crash after fleeing cops identified. Girl is critical
Zabaleta said on Wednesday investigators had not yet determined how fast the Audi was going and he wasn’t willing to say the officer was chasing the under-aged driver — just that the officer had caught up to the Audi and signaled for Anthony to pull over.
Police also said Anthony took his mother’s car without permission. The Herald was not able to immediately reach his family to confirm.
Anthony was pronounced dead at the scene, and Jazmin was taken to the hospital.
“Anthony was a bright and compassionate young man who will be sorely missed,” Danny Garcia, a cousin of Anthony’s, told the Herald.
Loved ones mourn teens’ deaths
A makeshift memorial that initially sprung up at the crash site in memory of Anthony now includes messages for Jazmin.
“Miss y’all both,” someone wrote on a wooden cross.
Another wrote, “You’ll stay (for)ever in our hearts.”
“I love you Jaz, rest easy,” somebody wrote on the outside of a candle jar.
Michael Valdes, 11, paid his respects at the vigil Friday afternoon, placing flowers with his mother, Kenia Sequeira, and sister. Michael and Jazmin were friends and attended karate classes at Tiger & Dragon Miami in West Kendall.
“Jazmin was a very kind-hearted person,” Michael said while holding back tears. “I remember every single time when we used to kickbox with each other. Even when I fell down to the ground, she would always take care of me and pick me back up. ... I really miss her.”
Sequeira said it has been hard for her children because they hung out with Jazmin in and out of the karate studio.
“We were a close-knit team,” she said. “Her smile, her laughter, that is what we are going to remember.”
Sequeira said it was important for them to say their goodbyes. They wanted “[Jazmin’s] spirit to know that we are here for her and we are praying for her, her family and her siblings.”
Other members of the Kendall community also visited the vigil to pay their respects even though they did not know the two.
A GoFundme initially created to help pay for Jazmin’s medical expenses had raised more than $14,000 as of Friday afternoon. A GoFundMe created to help pay for Anthony’s funeral expenses has raised over $10,000.
