St. Johns County

Creekside High School student killed in suspected DUI crash; Another teen arrested for DUI, SJSO says

By ActionNewsJax.com News Staff
By ActionNewsJax.com News Staff

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — UPDATE 12/23/2019: The suspect, Jonathan O’Brien, 16, has been charged with a felony, DUI and serious bodily injury to another.

Jonathan O'Brien

O’Brien has since been released to a parent, police say.

ORIGINAL STORY:

An 18-year-old is dead after the car he was a passenger in went off the road in the Julington Creek area and crashed into a tree, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies said the crash happened around 3 a.m. Sunday morning on the 1900 block of Bishop Estates Road, a dark and windy two-lane residential road lined with trees and homes. A preliminary investigation revealed that the 2019 Chevrolet Camaro was driving west on Bishop Estates Road.

The victim was thrown from the car, SJSO told Action News Jax.

Action News Jax’s Alicia Tarancon spoke with friends of the 18-year-old on Sunday as they laid flowers at the crash site. They said he was a student at Creekside High School and was one of the kindest people they’ve known.

Debris from the car and a visibly damaged mailbox could be seen on the side of the road.

Two other people were in the car, according to deputies.

The driver, Jonathan Kenny O’brien, 16, was arrested for suspected DUI. Deputies said the teen is being charged with a misdemeanor, but the charges could be upgraded depending on the outcome of investigation.

The family of the victim invoked Marsy’s Law, so his name will not be released.

© 2019 Cox Media Group

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