PLAINVILLE, MASS. (WHDH) - A 42-year-old man accused of crashing a stolen car into another car in Plainville over the weekend faced a judge Monday.
The crash happened near 8:30 p.m. Saturday night on the southbound side of Route 1.
In a statement early Sunday morning, the Massachusetts State Police said Michael Escolas of Oxford had allegedly stolen a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee from a parking lot at Gillette Stadium shortly before the crash.
Police said Escolas allegedly rear-ended a vehicle carrying a family of six, seriously injuring all six family members. Emergency crews brought all the injured people to area hospitals. A 10-year-old child, named Jaylen Bush Victorian, was pronounced dead.
“He had a heart of gold. He loved his family, he was the protector of his three brothers, his mother, and his father,” a family member said outside the courthouse Monday.
State police said the crash damaged three other cars, in addition to the Jeep and the car that Escolas allegedly hit.
Police arrested Escolas at the scene on suspicion of driving under the influence and brought him to an area hospital.
The stolen car reportedly belonged to a Vermont couple attending a Kenny Chesney concert at Gillette Stadium. Prosecutors said a key fob inside the SUV allowed Escolas to drive off at 50 miles per hour.
Prosecutor Adam Lally explained this was the second time Escolas was charged with operating under the influence.
Defense attorney Joe Cataldo shared that Escolas had no history of defaults or convictions.
People in the area shared their reaction, with one person describing the incident as an “an awful situation.”
“He was a beautiful child,” a family member said of Victorian. “He was loved and adored by everyone. If you encountered him, you would have fell in love with this child.”
Escolas was charged with manslaughter while operating under the influence, operating under the influence – liquor, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, larceny of a motor vehicle, nine counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and marked lanes violation.
He is being held on $100,000 cash bail. If he is able to make that, he is ordered to stay away from the victim’s family, and not to drink or drive.
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