WILMINGTON, Del. (WPVI) — A crash in downtown Wilmington left three people dead early Saturday after police say a speeding, drunk driver slammed into the victims’ vehicle, pushing it several blocks before it caught fire.
The crash happened around 4:18 a.m. at 9th and Walnut streets, according to police.
Surveillance video shows the victims’ car was struck from behind and pushed to 10th Street, where it became engulfed in flames. The sidewalk remains charred, and a memorial now honors the victims just feet away.
Police identified the victims as 41-year-old Brandon Hill, 48-year-old Curtis Jackson and 35-year-old Caroline Shockley.
Authorities said 30-year-old Nicholas Resto was driving under the influence of alcohol and speeding at the time of the crash. He is charged with three counts of manslaughter and driving under the influence.
Resto was taken into custody and transported to a hospital in stable condition. He will be sent to the Department of Corrections with a bond set at $105,200 cash.
Brigette Sellers, Hill’s mother, said she is struggling to cope with the loss of her son.
“I’m bitter, and I’m mad with him for taking my baby from me,” she said.
Sellers said Hill, known by many in Wilmington as “Meatball (Sauce),” was a father of four who had overcome significant challenges in his life.
“He got shot in 2004, left for dead…” Sellers said. “But he still continued to thrive and try to do the best he can. He finally got his life together and was a substitute teacher.”
She added that her son remained close to his family.
“He was my everything, he just was everything to me,” Sellers said. “He calls me every day. He says good night to me, he says good morning. He’ll come see me so I can see his face, and I just I barely even can sleep.”
She described the overwhelming grief of losing her son.
“I don’t know what I’m gonna do, I’m just, I’m lost,” Sellers said. “I’m never gonna see my son again and that part just breaks me.”
Sellers also expressed conflicting emotions about the suspect, and said she’s hoping she and the other families will someday get justice.
“When I heard that the first time, I said, ‘Why didn’t he die too?’ But then I said I’m a Christian; God forgive me for that because I don’t wish that for nobody. But I pray that he never gets out of jail,” she said.
Shockley’s loved ones are also devastated, and say the 35-year-old leaves behind a 2-month-old child.
“Picturing the scene and everything else is very hard,” Michaelena Matusky of Wilmington said. “Thirty-five years old and still had a whole life ahead of her.”
Matusky described Shockley as a loving parent.
“She was kindhearted, very sweet, loving; she always wanted the best for her kids,” Matusky said.
Police said the investigation remains ongoing.
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