2 Teens Die in Fiery Crash of Stolen Mustang

PLYMOUTH TOWNSHIP, MI — Two Livonia teens died in a fiery crash after a stolen Mustang hit a minivan Saturday night, police said.

The teens, 14 and 15, have been identified and relatives have been notified, but their names won’t be released due to their age, according to a news release from the Livonia Police Department.

They were freshmen at Livonia Churchill School, which said in a statement that counselors will be available to help students, parents and staff members work through their shock and grief.

“Our school community is shocked and saddened by the tragic loss of two of our students over the weekend,” the district’s statement said. “Tragedies such as this affect our entire community and we respectfully ask that people allow the police department to do their investigative work and allow the families and friends of these two young men the opportunity to grieve in private.”

Livonia police said in a news release that multiple 911 calls came in shortly after 9 p.m. Saturday about teens “doing doughnuts” in the parking lot of Garfield Elementary School, 10218 Arthur St. Several callers said the Mustang hit garbage cans after exiting the parking lot.

A short police chase began after a Livonia police officer attempted to stop the Mustang on Plymouth Road and began a short chase, but the driver sped up. Police said the pursuit was abandoned after the driver of the Mustang turned off the lights.

When Livonia police ended the pursuit, they notified the Plymouth Township Police Department, which found the Mustang had crashed on Plymouth Road, west of Haggerty Road, about a mile west of where the pursuit had ended. According to a news release, both occupants of the Mustang were dead.

The vehicle had been traveling west Plymouth Road when it clipped the left rear of the eastbound minivan, rolled over, went through a restaurant parking lot and into a wooded area near Hines Drive.

The Mustang was completely engulfed in flames, according to a news release from Plymouth Township Police Chief Tom Tiderington. The occupants of the minivan, a husband and wife, were treated for minor injuries at a nearby hospital.

Tiderington said the Mustang had been stolen from the outside of an area business.

The Michigan State Police, Livonia Police Department and Plymouth City Police Department are assisting the Plymouth Township Police Department in the investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to call Plymouth Township police at (734) 354-3232.

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