Fourth teen dies in stolen car crash in Des Moines

DES MOINES, Iowa — Police said Monday that the fourth teen involved in a stolen car crash has died.

On May 22, around 12:42 p.m., a Des Moines Police Department detective spotted a stolen vehicle near 9th Street and Center Street, the Des Moines Police Department said. The stolen vehicle then entered McRae Park, at 1021 Davis Avenue, and a short time later, a marked patrol car also entered the park.

Police say the driver of the stolen car spotted the patrol car and fled the lot on Davis Avenue at a high speed. Moments later, officers found the stolen car that had crashed in the 600 block of Davis Avenue. Preliminary evidence showed the car hit the curb, causing it to leave the roadway and crash into a tree.

Four teenagers were inside the vehicle at the time of the crash, one teenager died from his injuries at the scene and the other three were transported to nearby hospitals. Two days after the accident, two of the teenagers still hospitalized died from their injuries. On Monday, police said the fourth teen died from his injuries on Friday, May 31. The teens were identified as 18-year-old Jamarian Jackson, 15-year-old Eric Vortes Jr., 15-year-old James JT Taylor III. , and Tarez Lee Matthew Williams, 18.