5 people killed near John Travolta's Florida home

[Beeyotch]

Five People Killed Near Travolta's Home

Posted Jan 26th 2008 1:45PM by TMZ Staff
A fatal car accident killed five young men on an airstrip located adjacent to the Florida home of John Travolta, TMZ has learned.

The five men were speeding down a runway when their car ran off an embankment and was airborne for 200 feet before smashing into a tree early this morning, the AP reports. All five men were pronounced dead at the scene.

The airstrip is located at the exclusive "fly-in" community of Jumbolair Aviation Estates, where John Travolta has a home. The map above, obtained by Ocala.com from the Marion County Property Appraiser's Office, shows how close Travolta's home is to crash scene.

[Sojiita]

I see an obvious Co$ connection...

[CherryDarling]

Oh SHIT!

Psst, quick Bee, put in John's full name to avoid infraction.

[Beeyotch]

Ocala is near my college town where I lived for 10 years, and I'll bet those 5 men were some idiot redneck criminals. Shit, I wonder if I knew them...

p.s. Thanks cherry!

[CherryDarling]

No prob!

Very interesting indeed. I wonder how CO$ is going to cover this one...

[Sojiita]

Originally Posted by Beeyotch

Ocala is near my college town where I lived for 10 years, and I'll bet those 5 men were some idiot redneck criminals. Shit, I wonder if I knew them...

p.s. Thanks cherry!

Glad you were able to get it updated in time!

yeah idiot rednecks..still wish we could tie it in to Co$ though...

[Beeyotch]

Turns out they were just 5 young guys high school and college age. Morons.

Five friends killed in early morning crash at airstrip


STAFF REPORTS
Star-Banner



(Updated at 2:25 p.m.) ANTHONY -- Family and friends of five young men are mourning today after learning about the early morning crash on the Greystone airstrip adjacent to Jumbolair Aviation Estates.

FHP officials have identified the five friends as Jacob James Casey, 19, 4245 SW 20th Ave., Ocala; James Devon Hime, 19, 10660 NE 47th Ave., Ocala; Joshua D. Ammirato, 18, of Fairfield, Dustin J. Dawe, 19, 13040 NW 80th St. Rd., Fairfield; and Isaac Rubin, 20, 45 Pecan Run Pass, Ocala. All five were pronounced dead at the scene.

The young men were riding in a gray 2008 BMW driven by Ammirato. The car was traveling north on Runway 36, the airstrip that actor John Travolta and others to and from Ocala on, when it launched off the end of the runway, over an embankment and then sailed about 200 feet before slamming into a large tree in a wooded area, according to Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Mike Burroughs.

FHP officials said there were skid marks at the end of the runway. They believe the car traveled up the 80- to 85-foot elevation embankment at the end of the airstrip and struck the tree about 15 feet above the ground. The car broke into two pieces upon impact.

Three of victims were ejected. two were partially ejected, FHP offcials said. All five were pronounced dead between 3:55 and 3:45 a.m. by the Marion County Fire and Rescue paramedics at the scene.

The accident strikes at the heart of the North Marion community as four of the young men are former students of North Marion High School. Hime, Ammirato, Dawe and Rubin all attended the school

Casey, the fifth student killed, graduated from Trinity Catholic High, where he played football.

North Marion High School's former and current students began gathering at Sparr Baptist Church on County Road 329 at about 2 p.m. to mourn the death of the five young men.

North Marion High School principal Kathy Quelland knew three of the young
men in the car who were all graduates of NMHS.

"They were all wrestlers and involved in others sports and very popular
students, so this is going to hit the North Marion community really hard,"
Quelland said.

Kathy Crile, whose son graduated with the men and was on the wrestling team with them, organized the gathering at the church, located on the north side of County Road 329 east of the highs school.

''We wanted to have a place were everyone could get together and mourn, hug and cry,'' Crile said as students began gathering at the church.

Crile said her son was good friends with four of the men who had been identified by the Florida Highway Patrol.

Crile, a city of Ocala employee, said everyone wanting to mourn the loss of the students, or even to show support, are invited to the gathering. Crile, who was obviously shaken, said her son could have easily been along for the ride with his friends.

Superintendent of Schools Jim Yancey said the mourning service was to be held in the North Marion High School's gym. However, it is being used today for a chess tournament, he said.

Yancey said counselors will be made available at the school Monday morning if needed.

Alainya Frauenshuh, a senior at North Marion High School, was friends with the young men and said they had all gone to a Trinty High School basketball game and then to a party. They were celebrating Dustin Dawe's 19th birthday. Dustin was known by all of his friends as "Smiley."

"It's heartbreaking," Frauenshuh said. "I'm praying for their families."

Dawe loved people and always wanted to talk to his friends and family, hoping to be a sounding board to anyone feeling troubled or sad, said Dawe's cousin, Justin Champlin, 25, of Illinois,

Champlin said his cousin was a very good person who loved his relationship with his friends and family, especially his father, Jim Dawe.

''Dusty always talked about his father and how he wanted to be like him,'' Champlin said. ''He loved companionship and would talk to anyone who need someone to listen.''

The Rev. Patrick Sheedy of Blessed Trinity Catholic Church said he has not had a
chance to talk to the family of Jacob James Casey, a 2007 graduate of Trinity
Catholic High School.

Casey played football for Trinity Catholic and then went on to play defensive back for the Jacksonville University Dolphins, coached by former Trinity High School football coach Kerwin Bell.

"I have left a message for the (Casey) family, and I'm waiting on them to call
me back," Sheedy said.

The vehicle came to rest in flames near the home of Augustine and Kristina Berenguer in the 1400 block of Northeast 95th Street. The BMW was completely demolished in the crash.

The Berenguers were awakened by a bang and saw flames through a window. They said the nearby crash shook their house.

Augustine Berenguer went outside to see what had happened and shouted back for his wife to call 911.

The accident was reported to Marion County Fire Rescue at 3:47 a.m.

Residents in the area told troopers that local teens regularly sneak onto the airstrip via an entrance in a nearby, ungated subdivision.

The airstrip where the accident occurred is used by actor John Travolta, who has a home at Jumbolair.

Jeremy Thayer, co-owner of Jumbolair Aviation Estates, said he and
wife Terri Jones-Thayer were called just before 8 a.m. Saturday and told
about the accident.

"We are shocked and sad for the five families," Thayer said. "It's
just tragic. I have three children of my own, and I can't imagine living
without one of them."

He said they did not hear anything unusual on the airstrip overnight.

"We are used to noise on the runway at night with planes landing," he
said. "And we have had teens out there we have had to chase off, but it's
so large it's impossible to stop them all. It's a mile and a half runway, so
if someone wanted to get out there they can."

Meanwhile, the owner of Greystone Airstrip, James Garemore, say the teens did not access their airstrip through their property before driving at high speeds down the runway, according to Frank Keasler, Garemore's Jacksonville attorney.

Keasler indicated the teens must have drove onto the airstrip from the Jumbolair Estates side of the development.

''This does show the need for more enforcement of the Garemore's rights,'' Keasler said. ''There's no control in Jumbolair so we'll leave it at that. There is an obvious need for more control.''

The area is well-know because the airstrip is being used by actor John Travolta, who has been battling the Garemores to be able to use the runway.

Travolta was thrown in the mix in 2001 when he bought land at Jumbolair with plans to build a home. Travolta claims he was assured he would be able to use the airport.

According to a federal suit, Travolta reportedly had a separate verbal agreement with the Garemores that allowed him to use the main 7,550-foot runway.

[KristiB]

Slow news day at TMZ?

[Beeyotch]

Jesus the writing for that paper sucks. "He indicated the teens must have drove onto the airstrip..."

[MissDecember]

So they were speeding up the airway for sport?

Dumb.

[buttmunch]

I'm surprised Jerry O'Connell wasn't a victim.

[NicoleWasHere]

I blame $cientology.

[twitchy]

BMW drivers 'nuff said. (although I must admit I've met a couple of them that were ok)

[MrsDark]

Originally Posted by Sojiita

I see an obvious Co$ connection...

Ha! GMTA. My first thought was I wonder if any of these people were "SPs"?

[DontMindMe]

^^Ok, it's been driving me mad, what that hell is an SP? (I know I'll slap myself when I find out, as I'm sure I already know. My brain is just not working today.)