A Michigan teen who died in a horrific traffic accident after trying to jump off a steep hill told her friend to slow down seconds before she died.
Nevaeh Downs, 18, of Grand Rapids, was killed in the collision with her best friend Ella Vece, who was driving Downs’ car at the time of the crash.
This is evident from an incident report obtained by Goal 8the two had attempted to jump the steepest hill in Plainfield Township.
In January of this year, two months after the fatal crash, prosecutors charged 20-year-old Vece with reckless driving causing death, which is a misdemeanor.
Earlier this month, she pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor causing death, which is a one-year misdemeanor; she will be sentenced in June.
This is evident from an incident report obtained by the exhaust, the two had attempted to jump over the steepest hill in the city of Jericho.
Nevaeh Downs, 18, of Grand Rapids, died in the crash last year while her friend was behind the wheel of her car
The event data recorder in the Volkswagen Jetta showed the vehicle traveling over the hill at a speed of more than 100 miles per hour
The report said that in her final moments, Downs documented Vece’s attempt to catch air on the slope and the sudden fall.
Investigators who searched her cell phone found a video Downs had recorded as they ran toward the hill.
The deputy who viewed the footage wrote, “The video was filmed from the passenger seat as the girls scream and laugh as they appear to fly over a smaller hill south of the accident scene.
“As they drive along, (Downs) appears to tell (Vece) to ‘slow down a little bit’ before they reach the large hill at the accident scene.
‘As the vehicle climbs the hill they are confronted with headlights which appear to frighten the driver.
‘The car appears to swerve to the right before it sounds like the car is leaving the road. The video then ends.’
According to the outlet, Vece told police she lost control of the vehicle after she swerved to avoid the oncoming vehicle that was close to the center line.
Toxicology tests showed no evidence that alcohol or drugs played a role in the crash, other than excessive speed, according to the report
Earlier this month, Vece, seen here, pleaded no contest to a moving violation causing death, which is a one-year felony — she will be sentenced in June
An online obituary recalled Downs as ‘thoughtful, strong and caring’
The deputy who viewed the footage said it was difficult to see the exact position of the oncoming vehicle and wrote that it “did not appear directly head-on.”
The vehicle struck a tree with such force that it “cut off the entire passenger side”; most of the vehicle ended up 70 meters from the tree.
Toxicology tests showed no evidence that alcohol or drugs played a role in the crash, other than excessive speed, according to the report.
The event data recorder in the Volkswagen Jetta showed the vehicle traveling over the hill at a speed of more than 100 mph.
During a 911 call, a woman is heard telling officers, “I live near Jericho and I heard a huge bang. It sounds like a car crashes into a tree. There are people shouting.’
Local resident Niki Feldkamp told the outlet: ‘The passenger seat and the driver’s seat were in two different places on the road.
“An explosion is the only way I can describe it. My husband immediately thought, ‘What is that?’ “I thought ‘a car crash’, I could just hear the metal.”
After running outside, she said she “heard a girl screaming for help” and after going to the scene, she found the woman whose screams she had heard.
Feldkamp added: ‘She started asking, “Where is my friend?” We were like, “What is she talking about?”
‘I thought there were several cars there because there was so much wreckage on the road. So I walked a little further and the friend was under the other part of the car.”
According to an incident report obtained by the outlet, the two attempted to jump over the steepest hill in the city of Jericho.
Vece, who was seen in court here earlier this month, will be sentenced later this year
Downs was the sixth person to die in five fatal accidents at the summit since 1966
Feldkamp said, “It was just a horrible, horrible scene. To think it’s just young girls probably having fun.
“And the girl who survived, she was so scared. She shouted about her friend and ‘Where is she?’ It was just… it was heartbreaking.”
Downs was the sixth person to die in five fatal accidents at the summit since 1966, according to data from Target 8.
At least four non-fatal hill jumping falls have also occurred since 2004, including one that resulted in serious injury in 2022.
Vece’s attorney Keary Sawyer said, “I think the case should be dismissed.” Or at least reduce it to a crime or something that won’t make this a double tragedy. Because we have already lost a young lady.”
Sawyer is pushing the Kent County Road Commission to make the hill safer, saying it is too steep, narrow and tempting for teenagers.
An online obituary recalled Downs as “thoughtful, strong and caring.”
It read: “We all agree that Nevaeh left us too soon. However, we can all agree that the impact she left on us will last a lifetime.”
She had graduated earlier last year from Northview High School, where she was a dedicated swimmer who loved dancing, soccer, lacrosse and mentoring younger children.