NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. — Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a crash that killed a 14-year-old bicyclist on Tuesday morning on his way to school.
Troopers say the teenager, Jayden Relyea, was killed after riding into the path of a Jeep.
Relyea was riding eastbound on Slidell Street and drove into the path of the Jeep at the intersection of Moon Lake Road in front of the Water's Edge subdivision.
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Relyea was a 9th grader at River Ridge High School.
“This is a student who attended the middle school which is here on the campus, and now he’s in the high school. He’s well known and well-liked here. Students and staff are having a tough time," said Pasco County School District Spokesperson Steve Hegarty.
The woman driving the Jeep was not cited for the crash.
It happened at 7:24 in the morning, and with the time change, it was still dark.
“The advice is everybody needs to look out for each other because in the morning we got a lot of people going to school and a lot of people going to work, and it’s maybe a little bit more dangerous out there right now," said Hegarty.
People who live in Relyea’s subdivision are offering support to his family, and some are offering rides to any other kids who bike to school.
Another parent said this is a time to educate kids not to cross the road where this is no crosswalk.
Earlier this year, officials added a traffic light and crosswalk at the main entrance to Water’s Edge. But the entrance where the teen likely came from has neither.
Today, a man, who did not want to be identified, added a cross, along with a bouquet of flowers, near the crash site.
