OVERLAND PARK, Kan.— A fatal-hit and-run crash Saturday afternoon in Overland Park left families on both side of the state line grieving a day later.
Family identified one of the victims as 20-year-old Samuel "Sam" Siebuhr, of Kansas City, Kansas, while Rockhurst High School administrators confirmed that 18-year-old senior Matthew Bloskey also was killed in the crash.
According to Overland Park police, Siebuhr was driving eastbound on 151st Street around 3:25 p.m., when a dark-colored Honda SUV ran into the back driver's panel of his vehicle.
Siebuhr's car spun out, crossing the median and hitting two other cars, including the one Bloskey was driving.
Overland Park Police Department spokesman Officer John Lacy said speed was a factor in the crash. The driver of the Honda left the scene and police are actively searching for the suspect vehicle.
It was supposed to be a weekend of celebration for the students of Rockhurst High School with the homecoming dance planned for Saturday night.
Instead, many students came to the chapel upon learning of Bloskey's death.
"His classmates talked about him as a person who really pulled them together," Rockhurst High School President David Laughlin said. "He had a great sense of humor."
Students again gathered at the school Sunday afternoon for a mass in the senior's honor. As they filed in, the teenagers exchanged few words; instead, they cried and hugged.
Laughlin, who spoke with Bloskey's family, said they are devastated but relying on faith in the face of their loss.
"We're praying for them," Linda Petrey said.
Petrey also lost her son in the crash.
Siebuhr was the second oldest of five kids. His mom said the 20-year-old was working two jobs and had just gotten a place of his own, but he would frequently stop by to visit her.
"He was a giving kid," she said.
Michell Sly, Siebuhr's aunt, described him as a "big teddy bear" who loved his family.
"Sam and the other young man deserve justice," Sly said.
If you have any information about the Honda involved in the crash, contact the Overland Park Traffic Safety Unit at 913-912-2164 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.
