Teen boy and girlfriend die in freak car accidents at same church days apart
A teenage boy and his girlfriend were killed in freak car accidents just three days apart at the same church in Alabama.
Anthony Banks Jr, 19, lost control of his vehicle and was involved in a fiery crash at Riverside Baptist Church in St Clair County shortly before 1.30am on Thursday, AL.com reported.
Firefighters battled the blaze, which quickly engulfed the church, into the morning. Banks was pronounced dead at the scene.
‘He was in a horrible accident that took my precious baby boys life at such a young age he just turned 19 years old 17 days ago,’ Banks’ mother, sister and brother wrote in a GoFundMe page for his celebration of life.
‘His life hadn’t even got started goof [sic] before he tragically taken from this world as I write this tears flow uncontrollably praying for this all to be some nightmare we will all wake from soon.’
The church had been a staple in the small town for decades.
‘Our thoughts and prayers are with them and the family of the deceased during this difficult time,’ wrote the Riverside Fire and Rescue on Facebook.
Then on Sunday just before 1am, Banks’ girlfriend, Jennifer Arellano-Maldonado, 19, crashed into the burned church while trying to flee a Riverside cop, according to AL.com. Her BMW, which was reported stolen from a family member, veered off a street and struck a brick wall, igniting a fire.
Arellano-Maldonado, who was not using a seat belt, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency is investigating the incident.
Riverside had a population of about 2,200 in 2022 and is about 38 miles east of Birmingham.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the GoFundMe page for Anthony had received $450 in donations.
The couple’s deaths happened only weeks after Birmingham police issued an arrest warrant for a mother accused of starving her teenage son to death at a motel.
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