Beloved Georgia teacher Jason Hughes, 40, was run over by one of the teens who was leaving his home after toilet papering his yard, police said
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/Jason-Hughes-030826-01-bb26ff4b3aea4a55a8fa8bac990e451a.jpg "High School Teacher Killed During Prank Gone Wrong Outside His Home, 5 Teens Arrested")
Credit: Jason Hughes/Facebook
NEED TO KNOW
- Georgia math teacher and golf coach Jason Hughes, 40, died after he was run over by a student leaving his house after a prom season prank, authorities allege
- Hughes, who was fond of the students, was excited that they were coming to his house as part of the yearly tradition, his wife said
- His wife supports dropping the charges against the teens arrested in connection with the tragic accident
The popular Georgia teacher who was killed after students toilet papered his house was “excited” about the prom season prank and hoped to “catch” them while they were doing it, his wife says.
On Friday, March 6, five teens pulled up to the Gainesville home of North Hall High School math teacher and golf coach Jason Hughes and "rolled" the trees in his yard with toilet paper, according to a news release from the Hall County Sheriff's Office.
As the teens were leaving, Hughes, 40, came toward them and slipped on the road, which was wet because it was raining.
In what his wife has described as a “tragic” accident, as the teens were leaving, Hughes was run over by a pickup truck driven by Jayden Ryan Wallace, 18, the sheriff’s office alleges.
The teens immediately got out of their vehicles and tried to help Hughes as they waited for EMTs to arrive, the sheriff’s office said.
Hughes was taken to a local hospital where he later died.
His wife, Laura Hughes, who is also a teacher at North Hall High School, said in a statement that her husband and the students involved loved each other, The New York Times reports.
Hughes was heading down to where the students were because he “was excited and waiting to catch them in the act,” Laura Hughes said in the statement.
He was apparently aware of the yearly tradition at the school and was not approaching them to confront them, she said.
She said the family “supports getting the charges dropped for all involved.”
Credit: gofundme
Arrested at the scene, Wallace faces a felony charge of homicide by vehicle in the first degree, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office said. He also faces charges of criminal trespass, reckless driving and littering.
The other teens who were arrested at the scene — Elijah Tate Owens, Aiden Hucks, Ana Katherine Luque, and Ariana Cruz, all 18 and from Gainesville — were charged with criminal trespass and littering on private property, which are misdemeanors, the sheriff’s office said.
All five were released on bond on Sunday, the sheriff’s office said.
Calling the incident “a terrible tragedy,” Laura Hughes said in the statement that “our family is determined to prevent a separate tragedy from occurring, ruining the lives of these students. This would be counter to Jason’s lifelong dedication of investing in the lives of these children.”
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In a statement obtained by local station WDUN, the family thanked the community for its “outpouring of prayers and support and the respect for our privacy as we grieve the loss of Jason. We ask that you continue to pray for our family and also for the students involved in the accident, along with their families. Please join us in extending grace and mercy to them as Christ has done for us.
A longtime teacher, Hughes was the father of two young boys, according to a GoFundMe.
In a statement obtained by WXIA, a Hall County School District spokesperson described him as a "loving husband" and "devoted father."
Just days before the March 6 incident, the district warned students about prom season pranks as part of what it called “Junior/Senior Wars.”
In a statement addressed to parents and students on Facebook, the district said, “While we understand that prom is a time for celebration and creating lasting memories, we must emphasize the importance of responsible behavior and respect for others and their property. In previous years, some pranks during prom season–sometimes referred to as Junior/Senior Wars– have gone too far, resulting in damage to property.”