Church releases touching tribute, raising money for family of 17-year-old killed in New Bedford highway crash

A Cape Cod church has created a fundraiser for the family of a 17-year-old killed in an early morning highway crash.

According to Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn, just before 2:00 a.m. on Saturday, Massachusetts State Police received a 911 call of a single car crash in the area of mile marker 2.1 on Route 140 South in New Bedford. 

Upon arrival, first responders located a gray 2019 Honda Civic with significant damage to the passenger side of the vehicle, in the wooded area to the right of the roadway.  First responders also located two individuals that had been ejected from the vehicle. 

A 17-year-old male from West Yarmouth was located in the vicinity of the vehicle with significant trauma and pronounced deceased on scene. 

A 15-year-old female was also in the area of the vehicle with life threatening injuries. She was transported to a local hospital where she was pronounced deceased a short time later.  

The driver of the vehicle, an 18-year-old male from Dartmouth was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. 

According to a GoFundMe fundraiser created by his church, the deceased 17-year-old is Gabriel Bertoldi Siqueira.

“Gabriel was a very loved young man. Kind-hearted, gentle, respectful, and always thoughtful with others. He touched people with the sweetness of his presence and the way he treated everyone around him.”

Friends and family say that the deceased 15-year-old is Anne Caroline Torres of Dartmouth who was friends with Siqueira.

A GoFundMe fundraiser has been created to fulfill Torres’ final wishes and transport her body back to her native Ponta Grossa, Brazil.

According to Brazilian media, family members say that Torres and the other teens involved in the crash were returning from a party when the driver lost control of the vehicle.

The investigation into the cause of the crash is being coordinated by the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office along with the Massachusetts State Police.