How 2 teens survived deadly Ohio SUV crash; owner says car stolen

WARREN, Ohio Two teens who escaped a crash that killed six friends in a swampy pond wriggled out of the wreckage by smashing a rear window and swimming away from the SUV, a state trooper said Monday.

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Teen car crash: Speeding may have been factor, investigators say

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Car crash kills six teenagers in Ohio

The inside of the sport utility vehicle was entirely under water within minutes of the crash, said State Highway Patrol Lt. Brian Holt.

The owner of the SUV says the vehicle had been stolen. The State Highway Patrol says the sport utility vehicle's owner met with police Monday and filed a theft report, saying it was stolen in the city.

Investigators don't yet know why the eight were in the speeding vehicle without permission when it smashed into a guardrail and flipped over into the pond Sunday morning around daybreak, Holt said.

No one in the group had asked to take the vehicle and its owner was not related to any of the teens, Holt said. The vehicle was licensed to a resident of Youngstown, about 20 miles away.

"That's all we know right now," he said.

The two teens who escaped have talked with investigators, Holt said. The two boys ran a quarter-mile to a home to call 911, the highway patrol said.

Investigators were focused on speed as a key factor in the crash and said weather did not play a role.

While citing an unspecified "high rate" of speed, investigators wouldn't speculate on whether alcohol or drugs were involved in the crash on a two-lane road snugged between guardrails in an industrial section of the city.

"I can't believe you're gone," Mariah Bryant, 12, wrote in a message taped to a stuffed bear at the scene in memory of her half-brother, Daylan Ray, 15, who was killed.

"I love and miss you so much," said the message, which drew a steady stream of onlookers. The bear was part of a growing memorial of stuffed animals at the roadside.

• Speeding a factor in Ohio crash that killed six teens, police say
• Police name six teens killed in Ohio SUV crash

Deanna Behner said her 15-year-old son and the other teenagers were close friends who lived in the same neighborhood on the east side of Warren, Youngstown TV stations WKBN and WYTV reported. Behner told the stations that authorities unsuccessfully tried for hours to save her son, Kirklan Behner.

The Honda Passport veered off the left side of a road and overturned about 60 miles east of Cleveland, State Highway Patrol Lt. Anne Ralston said. Investigators say it came to rest upside down in the swamp and sank with five of the victims trapped inside. A sixth, who was thrown from the SUV during the crash, was found under it when the vehicle was taken out of the water.

Holt said Sunday evening that speed was a factor, although investigators were still trying to determine the speed at the time of the accident.

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[Princefan46]

Here's the fact...the driver was 19 year old Alexis Cayson and she did die. The autopsy reports are in and all 6 of those young people drowned. She paid for her mists and bad judgement with her life for crying out loud people. They ALL made the mistae of doing something they should not have done. The 2 boys that survived are going to have to live with these memories for the rest of their lives. Brian Henry one of the boys that survived almost didn't. He was knocked unconsience when the car hit the guardrail and flipped over and only woke up when the cold water was filling the car and revived him. He crawled to the back and had to break out the rear window with his elbow. His feet were tangled in seatbelts. He then ran to try to get help. We all make mistakes and franky have apparently forgot what it's like to be a teenager and do something behind adults backs and try not to get caught. The only difference is that their mistake was one that cannot be fixed, taken back or punished. The people in this community are still reeling from this. There still have to be funerals. Hopefully others can learn to maybe think twice before doing something stupid but no one is promised a tomorrow....NO ONE. We never know what will happen. It is a hard lesson to learn and they will never have the chance to learn it. The 6 will not get a second chance. I have been sitting here feeling and crying for their parents whose arms are acheing to hold them again. I know that feeling. I have burried 2 children due to illness and in 2006 almost lost my then 18 year ols son in an ATV accident. I got that phone call. My son suffered life threatening injuries and was a hair away from death. He was blessed to survive and learn from his mistake. The families are in agony right now here. All the blaming isn't going to bring those young people back. It still shocks me at the lack of respect for human life. These were not bad kids, they made a bad and fateful choice.

[tagrogan]

A lot of miscommunication here, some post say the driver died some say the driver didn't some say the SUV owner said the SUV was stolen some but some say the news says it was taken without permission....maybe people should all read the same news! Just saying.... And the parent are not to blame that one post that said that you must be perfect and have perfect kids or something. Few teens under 18 don't trick parents to have fun with sleep overs, and fun doesn't have to be unruly.

[nygurl1]

What is the difference between it being stolen and being taken without permission?

[Princefan46]

This is my first time coming here. Some of the comments have good points and some are just sad. Frist of all, I happen to live in Warren and am 5 minutes from where this tragedy took place and that is exactly what this is all the way around, a tragedy. I have not heard one person here say that there is the possibility that said owner of the car let them take the vehicle. He very well could have said go on, take it. Second, he waits until the next day to report it "stolen"? I know when my car is in the driveway and when it's not. The 19 year old driver didn't have a license so this is a way to attept to avoid responsibility of any kind. Next, they should not have had that many people in the car, it's a known fact that driver inattention especially amongst teenagers goes down with the more people in the car. Should she have been speeding? No, should they have been out without parents knowing where they were? No Did they deserve to die because they did something that I'm sure other young people do all the time? No, they did not deserve to die for a mistake. Punished if they survived of course but these kids were not thieves, drug addicts or criminals, they have paid for their mistake with their lives. As for the 2 survivors, the reason they are here is because they were in the very back of the vehicle and broke the back window when the water brought them around and they then ran for help 1/4 mile away. The corner where they crashed is known around here as dead man's curve and has been the site of many accidents. This city has had much tragedy. Almost a year to the day of this accident, a house fire clamed the lives of 6 people including 4 children of whom some of these kids knew. It has rocked this comunity to the core. I could care less for the car owner, IF it was stolen, insurance will pay for it, if not, at least he is still alive. Those of you who are so quick to judge these young people's actions must have been perfect teenagers and are to be commended. Again, bad decisions on their part. Even at 18 and 19 years old a person's brain is not developed enough to make the best choices.The driver was a mother btw, bet ya didn't know that and now has no mother. Being responsir the accident is one thing, calling them murderers is something else. THEY ARE DEAD, THE ONE RESPONSIBLE IS DEAD. They paid for their stupidity, now let them rest in peace. This is a hard time for our city. DO NO JUDGE LEST YE BE JUDGED.

[Princefan46]

Thank you BRIDGE 1692. While I did not personally know these individuals, I am a mother and I feel for the families and for the survivors and for those gone too soon. We all make mistakes and they made one that cannot be taken back. I feel awful. As a mom, I can imagine the pain and know what it's like to know the reality of your child never coming home.

[cloudninegirl]

The video says they were on there way home from a sleepover. Yet in another news article, one the the deceased boy's mother says she didn't know where her son was, only that "he was out with friends." The article above says the vehicles was stolen. Sounds to me like a bunch of young criminals stole a car, went on a joyride, but the ride they thought was so much fun, turned into death.

[SudieMae]

Kids do stupid things. You just hope your kid doesn't get caught up in a situation like this. When I was about 15, a neighbor who had just gotten her drivers' license, talked me into riding with her to town. She drove like a maniac, 80 mph. Scared me to death. That was the first and last time I ever got into a car with her. It never occurred to me that she would do something so stupid. I'm grateful that I survived.

[nygurl1]

I remember when my niece got her license.
I needed a ride and she picked me up in a brand new car.
Dear god, I have no idea how she got that license! I never rode with her again either!
A couple of weeks later she totalled it on an off-ramp!
Mom & Dad Got her a brand new car!

[kp32]

Is it sad that teenagers died? Of course. Was it avoidable? Absolutely. Should people be held accountable? Undoubtedly.

As a society, we have to stop placing blame on everyone else except the people responsible for their actions. Regardless of WHY these teenagers chose to drive a STOLEN CAR, were out way PAST CURFEW, and were SPEEDING, THEY made the choices to act in such a way. These were not "kids"--they were teenagers and several were adults. All of these young people absolutely knew right from wrong. Having good parents, bad parents, or no parents at all does not excuse the choices they made. Everyone has a story in life--some better than others.

While it is horribly sad that the accident occurred, this was not some random tragedy that happened when people were doing the right thing. I am incredibly grateful that they didn't manage to hit and injure/kill anyone else driving on the roads that night. That is a true blessing!

It amazes me that people assume we should overlook the accountability piece of both the parents and the teeneagers/adults who made these poor choices. The majority of comments on here are sympathetic simply because these people ended up dead. If these same people--"kids" or not--had robbed and killed; committed a drive by shooting and killed; or "gang-banged" a bunch of innocent people, everyone's attitude about them would be entirely different. No one would be making excuses for them, their age, or their actions, as people are doing now.

The sooner we teach our young people that their actions ALWAYS have consequences, the sooner we will see them more successful and safe. As a teacher of students with severe behavioral difficulties, this is a lesson I strive to teach my students every single day. Yes, some parents need to be better parents, but young people need to own their mistakes and accept accountability. By simply playing this off as a tragedy without having an honest discussion of WHY this happened and HOW it could/should have been avoided, we perpetuate the idea of invincibility and the "it isn't my fault" attitude so many young people have.

Tragedies like this are even more senseless and made so much more worse because of the number of young people who die each year from things they have no control over--drunk drivers, cancer, etc. Most of those kids placed a premium on life and would have gladly traded for the chance to make good decisions in a healthy body. It's disturbing to see others throw away their chance at life simply to have some "fun"--illegally.

Let's feel sorrow for the families and sadness over the loss of young lives, but let's also talk honestly about the poor choices made and how younger folks can avoid these types of endings in the future. That's not being cold or judgmental--it's being honest and hoping for prevention in the future.

[tireslinger]

KP32, your wording and the message conveyed within them, are right on target. These kids were not ignorant (simple lack of knowledge), these kids made some stupid, very poor choices. One of the saddest aspects of this incident, is that the loved ones are left behind to deal with some of the consequences.

[cyclingpete]

Sad that these young lives ended so early. But..............oh well. This is called a CONSEQUENCE for steeling a car, speeding, and not wearing seat belts.
The parents are partly to blame. What the hell is anyone who was under the age of 18 doing out without the parents knowing where they are?

[mecury69]

Stupid post.

[tagrogan]

The parents are not to blame. I guess you have perfect children or were a perfect child. You cannot always know where your children under 18 are!

[addict42]

If the car was stolen, then it's karma.

[twmat311]

Wouldn't be surprised for someone to come forward and state the owner lent out the car before, maybe even to the same kids; somehow they had the keys, and there doesn't seem to be a report of a home break-in (it was "stolen in the city" a whole day or two before the owner reported it - so the keys maybe were left in it? Insurance companies love that.)

[mznicole11]

being a born resident of trumbull county there are alot of things that go on with children and the parents are letting it happen. but everyone talking about this stolen vehicle did anyone notice in the pictures that the keys were in the ignition?? does anyone really think that the owner is going to say they loaned there car to teenagers after six of them have passed away? the owner is not going to take that responsibilty. and the other teens should go to jail for what? glad that they are still alive. praying for the rest of the families that lost a loved one this should be a lesson learned to know when what and who your children are out with...mad at these stupid comments

[Ladyrideraz]

Sorry but even if the owner had loaned the car to the teens how would it be his fault in any remote possibility that the kids crashed? It was no ones fault other than the irresponsible kid driving. And the keys were in the ignition HUH? What does that mean? Did they post a picture of the car before the kids stole it? I didn't see if the driver survived the crash but of COURSE he should go to jail if he is still alive. Whether or not the car was actually stolen the driver still caused the accident and the deaths, no one else.

[ralphing]

The 19 year old woman who was killed, was behind the wheel of the car. She also didn't have a drivers license. She is the only one who could be charged with stealing the car since she had control of the vehicle.

[aubfmet]

Calling a car stolen a day later might be a way to escape responsibility.

[mznicole11]

so right and they had the keys looks like a not stolen car to me

[Ladyrideraz]

When my kids were still at home they had access to the keys to my husbands car as well as mine. Anyone in the household had access to them. Just because these kids had access to the keys doesn't mean they had PERMISSION to drive the car. The town is less than 50,000 people so it's a small town. When I lived in a small town I thought nothing of leaving the keys in my car for a bit while I went inside my house to get something or into a store on a cold day and leave the car running. No matter if the kids had the keys accessible to them or if they were actually given permission to drive it, what they didn't have permission to is drive like irresponsible morons. Horrible that this happened and I feel for the families but to blame the owner of the car is ridiculous.