Left: Jayden Wallace (Hall County Sheriff”s Office). Right: Jason Hughes, top right, with his wife and two sons (GoFundMe).
Five teenagers from Georgia attempted the classic prank of toilet-papering a house, but the situation turned tragic when one of them accidentally ran over the homeowner, who had come out to confront them, according to police reports.
Eighteen-year-old Jayden Ryan Wallace now faces charges of first-degree vehicular homicide and reckless driving following the death of 40-year-old Jason Hughes in Gainesville. The Hall County Sheriff’s Office, in a statement obtained by Law&Crime, noted that Wallace and four friends arrived at a residence in the 4400 block of North Gate Drive at about 11:30 p.m. on Friday to drape toilet paper over the property’s trees.
When Hughes stepped outside to address the group, they hurriedly retreated to their vehicles. During the commotion, Hughes tripped and fell onto the road, where Wallace is alleged to have struck him with his pickup truck. Despite the chaotic scene, the teens remained at the location to assist as deputies arrived.
Hughes was transported to the hospital by paramedics, but unfortunately, he succumbed to his injuries.
The other four teens involved—Elijah Tate Owens, Aiden Hucks, Ana Katherine Luque, and Ariana Cruz, all 18 years old—are charged with misdemeanor offenses of criminal trespass and littering on private property.
Jason Hughes was a respected math teacher and coach at North Hall High School, remembered fondly by his community.
The school opened its doors on Saturday to help students mourn their teacher.
“He was always there for you, like well-known guy, well-respected in the community, very beloved by our school and the students always had nothing but great things to say about Coach Hughes,” Shayden Maynor, a former student of Hughes’, told local news station WANF. “He’s helped me through some pretty hard times, too, and he was just a great guy all the way around. It’s a very sad tragedy of what our community has lost.”
A school district spokesperson sent out the following statement to local media:
“Our hearts are broken. Jason Hughes was a loving husband, a devoted father, a passionate teacher, mentor, and coach who was loved and respected by students and colleagues. He gave so much to so many in numerous ways. Our hearts and prayers go out to his wife and family.”
Hughes was a married father of two. A GoFundMe shared by the school district had already raised more than $100,000 as of Sunday morning. The description said he was a “blessing to so many, and his untimely passing will be indescribably difficult for his wife and two young boys for years to come.”
A sheriff’s office spokesperson told Law&Crime he wasn’t sure why the teens picked Hughes’ home to prank or if the teens were current or former students of his.
Wallace remains in the Hall County Jail without bond.
