Father Was Holding 1-Year-Old Son When They Were Fatally Hit by a Car While Crossing the Street
Mitchell Patch was an elementary school math teacher, whose students "will miss him tremendously," the principal said
Patch's wife and family are "heartbroken," the wife's employer wrote on a GoFundMe pageA mom is grieving after her husband and 1-year-old son were killed while crossing the street in Jacksonville, Fla.
Mitchell Patch, an elementary school math teacher, was walking across Baymeadows Road with his son, Everett, when they were hit by a Honda Civic traveling eastbound at 8:30 p.m. local time on Friday, May 16. Emergency responders pronounced the father and child dead at the scene, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said in a statement. The driver of the car was taken to a local hospital and is cooperating with officials. Officer Max Morel confirmed the names of the father and son and told PEOPLE the investigation is ongoing.
'Our hearts are with the family and friends of the man and his child,' the sheriff's office said in the statement.
Duval County Public Schools, Patch's employer, and the City of Jacksonville Medical Examiner's Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's requests for comment.
That evening, Patch attended a party at a restaurant. He was holding his toddler in his arms when he crossed the road, Morel confirmed.
'We were in the middle of a rush when it happened. Next thing you know, we just started seeing flashing lights. It started getting bigger. So we kind of figured something more intense happened,' Dylan Williams, manager at Wicked Barley Brewing Company, told local outlet WJXT.
'We had a large group of family members mourning,' he added. 'It was very tragic.'
The fatal accident has renewed safety concerns for residents in the area, the outlet reported.
For Patch's wife, Mary, it's an 'unimaginable' tragedy, her employer wrote in a GoFundMe created to cover funeral expenses. As of Wednesday, May 23, the page has raised more than $120,000, close to its $125,000 goal. The organizer did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
'This devastating loss has left her and her family heartbroken,' the employer wrote of the death of Mitchell and their son, who is identified as Everett.
Bayview Elementary, where Mitchell worked, sent a message to the school's families from Principal Kelly York the day after the accident.
Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
'We will all certainly remember Mr. Patch for his incredible commitment to students and to the teaching profession. He was a dedicated educator and a well-loved and respected member of our Brave family,' York wrote in the message, which was shared with WJXT. 'Our sympathies go out to Mr. Patch's family, friends and our entire school community during this difficult time.'
She added, 'I am deeply saddened, and I know the students, staff and family members who knew Mr. Patch will miss him tremendously."
Read the original article on People
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Fairhope mother making remarkable recovery days after shooting
FAIRHOPE, Ala. (WKRG) – A young mother shot inside her Fairhope apartment is now making a remarkable recovery. UPDATE: New video shows latest immigration raid in Baldwin County Just days after being shot several times, 27-year-old Cait Schott is making progress her family says is nothing short of incredible. As she's already undergone several surgeries, her family said she's staying strong for her son, whom she literally took a bullet for. According to her mother, Allyson Marshall, her daughter was shot in the chest, arm, and liver when police say 60-year-old Brian Medley broke into her home at Shellbrook Pointe Apartments in Fairhope and opened fire on Saturday evening. Schott's mother says Medley and her daughter were coworkers and he had tried to pursue a romantic relationship for months. She says during the attack, Schott shielded her six-year-old son from the gunfire, and now she's determined to recover for him. 'Cait is a fighter,' Marshall said. 'Her love for her son and protection of him is why she survived. She took a bullet for him.' The community is rallying behind her. A GoFundMe set up for medical bills and long-term care has already raised more than $40,000 in only two days, even reaching national attention, with more than 600 donations. Schott's family says she's still in the hospital but is staying hopeful. Yeomans said everyone is blown away by her recovery. WATCH: Do you recognize this theft suspect at the Mobile ABC store? Her family and friends are calling her recovery a miracle. They said they're taking her healing day by day as she has a long road to recovery. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
9-year-old girl who died after incident at Hersheypark Boardwalk identified
Members of the Bhutanese Community in Harrisburg confirmed the identity of the 9-year-old girl who died at The Boardwalk at Hersheypark on July 24. Sophia Subedi, who has lived in Harrisburg since 2022, was found by Boardwalk lifeguards at the wave pool within the Boardwalk area. Subedi was transported to Penn State Health Hershey Medical Center, where officials said the child did not recover. "A bright, kind, and loving young girl, Sophia brought joy and light to everyone who knew her," a family representative said in a statement. "Her sudden loss has left our entire community in grief." Subedi was the first Hersheypark guest to die in the park's 119-year history. Her cause of death has not been released as of Monday morning. Subedi was born in 2016 in Mount Carmel, Columbus, Ohio. She was preparing to start fourth grade at North Side Elementary School in the Central Dauphin School District. A GoFundMe has been created by friends and community members in support of the Subedi family, according to representatives. A funeral and memorial service for Sophia Subedi is expected to take place Wednesday at the Jesse H. Geigle Funeral Home in Harrisburg. "We hope to turn this loss into a legacy — perhaps by supporting children's safety initiatives, advocating for awareness, or creating a small space in her name where kids and families can feel safe, loved, and connected," representatives said on the GoFundMe page. Hershey Entertainment officials said they will be conducting a "thorough internal review" of the incident in the coming days, and will cooperate fully with authorities. "The safety of our guests has always been our highest priority. In the coming days, we will conduct a thorough internal review and cooperate fully with authorities. "Our hearts break for this child and the child's family. We extend our deepest condolences for their loss. Out of respect for their privacy, we will not release any personal details at this time," John Lawn, CEO, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Company, said in a statement Thursday. The wave pool was closed Friday after the incident. Hershey officials said that there were 10 lifeguards specifically dedicated to the wave pool at the time of the incident. The wave pool has since been reopened, according to officials. The Derry Township Police Department issued a statement Friday saying they are assisting Hersheypark and the Dauphin County Coroner's Office with their review into Sophia Subedi's death. "We are still on the early stages of this process, and we are working to gather all of the facts in the incident," police said. "Our thoughts and our hearts are with the family and friends of this young life, lost too soon." Hersheypark officials said there were over 100 Ellis & Associates-trained lifeguards in the Boardwalk area at the time of the incident. The park employs 19 Certified Lifeguard Instructors and one Instructor Trainer to "ensure all team members meet rigorous safety standards." This is an ongoing story. Please check back for updates. Matthew Toth is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him at mtoth@ or on X at @DAMattToth. This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: Girl, 9, who died after incident at Hersheypark Boardwalk identified Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Yahoo
Her Husband Began an Affair with His Best Friend's Widow — That's When She Began to Suspect Something Far Worse (Exclusive Clip)
Kathy Aldredge tells PEOPLE about the nearly two-decade investigation she helped spearhead into her close friend Mike Williams' mysterious death in 2000NEED TO KNOW ABC News Studios' latest true crime docuseries, Mr. and Mrs. Murder, begins streaming on Hulu July 30 The series looks into the mysterious death of Mike Williams on Dec. 16, 2000 Kathy Aldredge, one of Williams' close friends, helped crack the case and tells PEOPLE she believes "there's still some missing pieces" out there that could explain what really happenedKathy Aldredge felt vindicated in front of the camera, finally free to share the truth about a devious plot she quietly investigated — at times alongside police — for the better part of the last two decades. 'I feel a lot of satisfaction,' Aldredge tells PEOPLE. 'I've waited a long time to speak on this topic and speak about my experience, and so there's a lot of satisfaction in finishing the project.' Aldredge's tireless search for the truth about her close friend Mike Williams' mysterious 2000 death is at the center of ABC News Studios' upcoming true crime docuseries, Mr. and Mrs. Murder, which begins streaming on Hulu on July 30. (An exclusive clip is shown below.) The four-part series examines Williams' disappearance the weekend before he and his wife, Denise, were set to celebrate their wedding anniversary — and follows Aldredge's determined quest to uncover what really happened. The 31-year-old father went missing after setting out on his boat to go duck hunting on the morning of Dec. 16, 2000, on Florida's Lake Seminole. He never returned, leading police to later theorize he had been eaten by an alligator. But Aldredge grew suspicious after her husband, Brian Winchester, began having an affair with Denise — his best friend's widow. She and Winchester eventually divorced but remained in each other's lives because they shared a child. 'To say they stabbed me in the back doesn't even touch it,' Aldredge says in the docuseries' trailer. 'They had stabbed me in the soul.' She and Williams' mother, Cheryl Williams — who adamantly believed Denise and Brian had killed her son — began digging deeper into what had happened. They ultimately worked directly with police, went undercover, and later testified against Brian and Denise when the pair were convicted of working together to kill Mike. 'I've been able to kind of shut the door on that chapter, but there's a window that's still open,' Aldredge explains to PEOPLE, wondering how Brian and Denise were able to get away with the murder for 17 years before eventually being convicted. With the docuseries is coming out soon, Aldredge says she hopes it might lead to others coming forward with more information about what happened — and why she believes police investigations into Mike's murder were repeatedly halted. 'I feel like there's still some missing pieces,' she says. 'I feel like Brian and Denise, for all those years, were protected in some way.' Aldredge says revisiting her experiences 'took me back to a dark place.' After she and Williams' mother, Cheryl, came forward with their accusations against Brian and Denise, they encountered police roadblocks — and backlash from community members who defended the couple. Despite the blowback, the pair of fiercely determined amateur investigators never stopped trying to figure out how and why Mike was killed.'She and I spent a lot of years under the radar,' Aldredge says, recalling the many days she and Mike's mother spent digging for clues that might help connect the dots in his death. 'Cheryl and I went through this together, even though we didn't see each other every day and we didn't talk every day, whenever we got together, this investigation was what we talked about. This investigation was what connected us, and it was a constant obsession throughout all those years, no matter how much time had passed between us, there was always that connection.' Viewers can watch how it all unfolded on July 30 when Mr. and Mrs. Murder begins streaming on Hulu. Read the original article on People
