Update: Police have charged a Blackbutt teen with dangerous driving following a crash at Windang on Wednesday that killed 18-year-old Jesse Brown.
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Investigators allege Jay Geoghegan and Mr Brown were street racing on Windang Road moments before Mr Brown's Holden Commodore slammed into the rear of a parked delivery truck, killing him instantly.
Geoghegan was taken to hospital for mandatory testing before being arrested and charged with dangerous driving occasioning death.
He allegedly denied he and Mr Brown had been engaging in a street race when interviewed by police on Wednesday afternoon, however admitted that the pair were known to each other.
He was refused police bail and remanded in custody overnight to face Wollongong Local Court on Thursday.
Police documents tendered to the court as part of Geoghegan’s bail application said witnesses allegedly saw Mr Brown’s Commodore and Geoghegan’s Toyota coupe travelling south in the same lane at “high speed” around 12.20pm.
Dash Cam footage from a truck also travelling in the same direction recorded Mr Brown’s vehicle merge into the adjacent lane before harshly pulling back into the original lane.
Witnesses said Mr Brown was then seen to steer his car “hard”, causing it to enter the breakdown lane and collide heavily with the stationary truck, which was parked outside Windang Golf Driving Range.
Police say Brown died instantly.
Prosecutors opposed Geoghegan’s release in court on Thursday, concerned he may fail to front court in the future.
His lawyer, Samir Banga, said his client would agree to live at a Blackbutt address with his parents, who could forfeit $1,000 if he didn’t comply with bail conditions.
Magistrate Mark Douglass agreed to grant the 19-year-old bail, noting he had strong community ties and no criminal or traffic record.
Geoghegan did not comment to waiting media upon his release from custody.
His case will return to court next month.
Earlier: Although many didn’t know the young man killed in Windang on Wednesday, dozens of “rest in peace” messages have been left on the Illawarra Mercury’s Facebook page.
The 18-year-old died instantly when his silver Commodore slammed into the back of a parked truck near Port Kembla Golf Club on Windang Road around 12:30pm.
Police believe the Holden had collided with the side of a white Toyota seconds earlier while travelling southbound.
The driver of the Coca-Cola truck was making deliveries to the driving range at the time and was uninjured.
The 19-year-old male driver of the Toyota was taken to Shellharbour Hospital for mandatory blood and urine testing.
A number of people saw the incident unfold and tried to help the crash victim without success.
NSW Ambulance Station Officer for Wollongong Anton Jamsek said two witnesses were assessed by paramedics after they became quite distraught.
Lisa Walsh was driving on the opposite side of the road at the time and said it was a “horrible” scene.
She said she pulled over as soon as it happened and called triple zero.
Windang resident Melissa Woodford Barreda heard the accident while watching television.
“The car hit pretty hard. I heard it from my bedroom with the TV on and ran out. Smoke everywhere,” she posted on the Illawarra Mercury Facebook page.
“[It was] outside the driving range/putt putt. The truck was stationary.”
Sheridan Blades posted, “Poor family torn apart by such tragedy. Prayers are with the family.”
“I drove past this and was terribly saddened by what I saw. RIP to the driver, condolences to the family and friends,” wrote Meredith Duncan.
Two southbound lanes remained closed until 5:30pm as crash scene investigators combed the scene.
Officers from the South Region Crash Investigation Unit will prepare a report for the Coroner outlining the full circumstances leading up to the crash.