It's like a scene out of a movie, but sadly, it happened in real life. A 19-year-old TikTok star, Gabriel Salazar, was involved in a high-speed chase with police when his car crashed into a ditch. He was killed in the crash, which happened at around 1:25 a.m. on Sunday.
Authorities told People magazine that Salazar was driving a 2014 Chevrolet Camaro. He was headed north on US Route 83 in Texas when he lost control and drove off the road. He hit several trees before the car rolled over and caught fire.
Sadly, Salazar wasn't the only one to perish. There were three other passengers. Those individuals have been identified as 41-year-old Jose Luis Jimenez-Mora, 23-year-old Jose Molina-Lara, and 36-year-old Sergio Espinoza-Flores. All four were pronounced dead at the scene.
The incident is simply tragic. Salazar had a massive following on both TikTok and Instagram. In his last Instagram post, he can be seen posing in front of a car.
Of course, so many questions remain about why the teen was driving so recklessly. The creator of the GoFundMe page to help assist the family with funeral expenses said, "[Don't] want to get into the details [of the crash] because it's so hard for us to even talk about the pain."
"Gabriel loved his family and was always horsing around with [his] sister and little brother," the organizer, Chris Vasquez, wrote. "He was always there with a big hug and smile, and his family will never forget those warm moments. He was so funny with a quiet sense of humor and sarcasm. I cannot believe that I am sitting here writing this."
The post continued, "Words cannot express the heartbreak our entire community is feeling from the loss of our Gabriel. Your family and friends miss you."
It's such a terrible tragedy for his loved ones to have to recover from. His fans are deeply saddened, as well. Now the teen's social media pages are filled with comments from followers mourning the loss.
Salazar's sister, Dana, has been sharing sweet words and pictures of her brother on social media, including photos of him as a baby. "I love you so much Gabe," she wrote. "No matter how much we argued and fought you knew i loved u with all my heart and i would always tell you this."
She added, "I'll keep you in my heart forever."
Salazar was best known for posting lip-syncing videos and skits on his social media platforms. While a lot of questions remain surrounding his death, right now his fans and loved ones are focused simply on saying goodbye.
