Current:Home > StocksTaylor Swift Fan Killed By Suspected Drunk Driver After Leaving Eras Tour Concert in Houston -AssetVision
Taylor Swift Fan Killed By Suspected Drunk Driver After Leaving Eras Tour Concert in Houston
View
Date:2025-04-15 19:01:11
Taylor Swift's fans are saying "Long Live" to a fellow Swiftie.
Jacob Lewis, 20, died on April 22 after being hit by a suspected drunk driver while leaving a Taylor Swift concert, according to local outlet KPRC. He was reportedly driving back from the Eras Tour show in Houston, Texas with sister April Bancroft when they ran into car issues.
The 20-year-old was driving a Buick LaCrosse on South U.S. Highway 59 around 1:15 a.m. when the "vehicle became disabled," according to an April 24 press release from Houston police that didn't name the victim. Authorities said he stepped out to push their car when he was hit by Alan Bryant Hayes, 34, driving a Volkswagen Beetle. Lewis died at the scene.
Lewis' dad Steve Lewis told KPRC that Hayes "stopped and got out and helped my daughter pull my son, pull Jacob from under his driver-side tire." He said the alleged suspect then fled, adding, "Only after that did he get back in his car and drive off and leave."
Hayes was eventually taken into custody and charged with a DWI, as well as failure to stop and render aid, police said. E! News has reached out to Harris County police for lawyer information for Hayes but has not heard back.
In the wake of his death, Swift's fans have been coming together to pay their respects with $13 donations—the singer's lucky number—to Lewis' GoFundMe page, as well as share lyrics from her emotional songs "Long Live" and "Bigger Than the Whole Sky." The donations have surpassed $120,000 as of April 25.
Lewis' sister told KPRC how she was coping with the unimaginable loss of her brother. "It was the night I had been looking forward to for a very long time and turned for the absolute worst," Bancroft said. "What I hope will be the worst thing I have to live through."
She also reflected on the tragedy on Twitter, resharing a video of the siblings at the April 21 concert. "I cannot even describe the pain I feel at this moment for the loss of my brother," she tweeted. "We loved you so much @taylorswift13. Thank you for making this our last memory together."
In light of the support she's received from fans, Bancroft added, "I cannot express the overwhelming happiness and gratitude from every #Swiftie out there. Thank you thank you thank you. I will get to your messages eventually if I haven't already, your words have inspired me through my day so much."
Lewis was taking a gap year from Sam Houston State University when he died, according to KPRC. He was passionate about Pokémon, Dungeons & Dragons and the Black Lives Matter movement, per his Twitter page.
"He was a really talented actor and singer," Lewis' dad told CBS' KHOU11 News. "[He] loved being on stage and performing. He was a good friend to a lot of people around him and just a really good kid."
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News AppveryGood! (598)
Related
- NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
- Birmingham shaken as search for gunmen who killed 4 intensifies in Alabama
- Reggie Bush sues USC, NCAA and Pac-12 for unearned NIL compensation
- Hundreds sue over alleged sexual abuse in Illinois youth detention centers
- The FTC says 'gamified' online job scams by WhatsApp and text on the rise. What to know.
- Search resumes for 2 swimmers who went missing off the coast of Virginia Beach
- Florida police investigate whether an officer used excessive force in shoving a protester
- Boeing makes a ‘best and final offer’ to striking union workers
- NHL in ASL returns, delivering American Sign Language analysis for Deaf community at Winter Classic
- Kmart’s blue light fades to black with the shuttering of its last full-scale US store
Ranking
- Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie return for an 'Encore,' reminisce about 'The Simple Life'
- Judge rules out possibility of punitive damages in Smartmatic defamation lawsuit against Newsmax
- Critics say lawmakers watered down California’s lemon car law after secret lobbyist negotiations
- Fantasy football Week 4: Trade value chart and rest of season rankings
- A White House order claims to end 'censorship.' What does that mean?
- Hayden Panettiere Addresses Concerns About Slurred Speech and Medication
- Gunman in Colorado supermarket shooting is the latest to fail with insanity defense
- Emory Callahan: The 2024 Vietnamese Market Meltdown Is It Really Hedge Funds Behind the Scenes?
Recommendation
Will the 'Yellowstone' finale be the last episode? What we know about Season 6, spinoffs
Watch as 8 bulls escape from pen at Massachusetts rodeo event; 1 bull still loose
Jazz saxophonist and composer Benny Golson dies at 95
Why Joey Graziadei Got Armpit Botox for Dancing With the Stars
Sarah J. Maas books explained: How to read 'ACOTAR,' 'Throne of Glass' in order.
Clemen Langston - A Club for Incubating Top Traders
Mack Brown apologizes for reaction after North Carolina's loss to James Madison
Critics say lawmakers watered down California’s lemon car law after secret lobbyist negotiations