LORAIN, Ohio — A man who recorded the aftermath of a crash that killed a 17-year-old is now facing charges.
Fox8 reported that police investigated the man who posted the video that was taken before police and paramedics arrived. The passenger, 17-year-old Cameron Friend, died from his injuries after the crash just after midnight Monday morning. The driver, 17-year-old Zachary Goodin, is being treated at a hospital.
Police said the car lost control after speeding over a train crossing and crashing into an SUV, a house and a tree.
“I just wanted to educate the people to slow down,” said Paul Pelton, the resident at the center of the investigation. “I didn’t do that to have some type of gore video.”
Pelton recorded the car smoking seconds after the crash. He then opened the back door and continued recording.
“While others were rendering aid to these boys, a male took the opportunity to video this horrible scene with his cell phone. In the video, the male makes comments that the boys were ‘Idiots,’ and holds his cell phone so that he can film these two boys who were in medical crisis,” police said.
Pelton didn’t turn the recording over to authorities. Police said he posted the video on Facebook and attempted to sell it to at least two news stations, according to the report. The police department called it an attempt to make a profit from “a young man’s dying moments.”
Pelton was arrested at his house on a vehicle trespass charge.