WPTV is learning more about the individuals inside a stolen vehicle that crashed early Tuesday morning into the St. Lucie River in Martin County.
The wreck resulted in the deaths of three people. One of those killed in the crash was Marcus Griffin, 17, of Lake Worth.
NewsChannel 5 spoke to some of Griffin’s family members on Wednesday who said he was a good kid with a bright future.
Griffin was the youngest of Meghan Gardner’s six children. She is still having trouble coming to terms with the fact that he is gone but said he will always be her baby.
“I’m still in denial,” Gardner said. “I still dont believe my baby’s gone.”
Gardner said the last time she saw Griffin was when he left for school at Seminole Ridge High where she said he was part of the automotive program.
Griffin’s brother said his sibling was not a criminal and believes he got into that vehicle after school, not knowing it was reported stolen.
“Different people online are saying, ‘At least there’s another one gone,’ but this is not another one gone,” brother Jamar Dunkley said. “He has family that loves him. He’s never been in trouble, so for me to see those senseless comments online without people not even knowing the full story, it’s kind of ridiculous.”
Family members said a big part of the story is that Griffin would not have gone out of his way to get in trouble.
“Would Marcus have gotten into a car that he knew was stolen?” WPTV reporter Chris Gilmore asked Griffin’s family members.
“No, no, impossible no, he just got a ride from the wrong person,” family members replied.
Unexpectedly, they are now planning funeral arrangements. His family said he is much more than the headlines.
“He’s a kid that grew up in Loxahatchee. He went to Seminole Ridge. He was on the weightlifting team. That’s all he did,” Dunkley said.
The names of the other two people, whose bodies were found Wednesday in the St. Lucie River, have not been released.
Investigators said the two teens who survived the wreck, who are both from Boynton Beach, could face felony charges.