Conner was a vibrant, fun-loving 16-year-old who loved soccer, his friends, and making people laugh. He had a personality that lit up every room and a heart that brought people together. Like so many teenagers, he was excited about life, full of dreams, and just beginning to find his path.
Conner wanted to play soccer at the collegiate level and was already being actively watched. He worked hard in the classroom, maintaining an AB honor roll, while balancing a full schedule that included track and competitive club soccer. He had a great group of friends, a girlfriend, and a life full of promise.
But on the evening of October 26, 2019, everything changed.
After the Homecoming dance, Conner entered the front passenger seat of a car. One of his friends got into the back seat. They were headed to a parent-supervised gathering just a mile down the road—something that should have been routine, safe, and uneventful.
Instead, it became the moment that changed our lives forever.
In the days and weeks following the crash, we began to learn things we never knew.
The driver was a teenager who had just recently come to the school. He had been removed from at least two other schools and had been driving for at least four weeks prior to the crash—unlicensed and unsupervised.
He wasn’t working to afford a high-performance BMW, yet he drove it every day.
He drove himself to school. He drove around the community. And people had seen it.
Teens, parents, teachers, bus drivers, and even school resource officers had witnessed his reckless driving. They saw it. They knew it. But no one spoke up.
We also learned that the school system had issued him a parking permit—despite the fact that he was unlicensed and enrolled in driver’s education.
A simple check when he requested that permit could have stopped this.
Instead, there were multiple opportunities for someone to step in—and no one did.
He had even posted on social media, saying, “Stop telling me I drive fast—I don’t give an F.”
That night, there were three teens in the vehicle. The driver was traveling at more than twice the legal speed limit. He only made it 500 yards before losing control of the car. He ran off the road, overcorrected, and crashed into a tree. The vehicle flipped.
All three teens were killed instantly.
This was not just a crash—it was 100% preventable.
If just one person had been courageous enough to speak up, Conner and two other teens might still be here today.
That is why I started IfYouSeeSomethingSaySomething.org—to give teens a way to speak up without being labeled a snitch or a rat, and without fear of retaliation.
Because speaking up saves lives.
Tammy, Conner’s Mom