19-Year-Old TikTok Star Who Died In Car Crash Was Involved In ‘Human Smuggling Probe’
Published
TikTok star Gabriel Salazar was involved in a ‘human smuggling probe’ at the time of his death, police have alleged.
The 19-year-old, better known as @gabenotbabe on the social media platform, died in a car crash in San Antonio, Texas, on September 26.
Amid tributes and a growing GoFundMe page, which has been since been disabled, police say Salazar was transporting undocumented migrants at the time of the collision, which left him and three other passengers dead.
Luis Jimenez Mora, 41, Jose Molina-Lara, 23, and Sergio Espinoza-Flores, 36, were all killed in the crash alongside Salazar. The three men were said to be from Zacatecas, northwest of Mexico City, as per The Independent.
The crash came after a Crystal City police officer reported a ‘traffic stop’ before pursuing Salazar’s white Camaro in a ‘high-speed’ chase. After failing to stop the car with a tire deflation device, the car ended up veering off the road, hitting trees before rolling over and becoming engulfed in flames, the sheriff said, as per People.
The Texas Department of Public Safety is now leading an investigation on the wreck as a possible smuggling case.
‘On September 26, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Eagle Pass, Texas, assisted Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) in Zavala County with a vehicular accident which occurred near LaPryor, Texas, that resulted in the death of four individuals,’ HSI said in a statement.
‘The incident is suspected of being a possible human smuggling event. No additional details are being released at this time; as the criminal investigation remains ongoing.’
The GoFundMe set up for ‘Gabe’s memorial fund’ raised more than $38,000 before further donations were disabled.
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