LEOMINSTER, MASS. (WHDH) - Described as a straight-A student who loved to draw, sketch, and create, 13-year-old Ezra Millard had joined a roller derby team and by all accounts was “coming into his own.”
“He was able to connect with friends on the team and seemed to be a place of joy for him,” said Wendy Matusovich of New England Junior Roller Derby.
Ezra’s dad says the teen was meeting friends at a Taco Bell in Leominster on Monday when he was struck by a pickup truck outside and did not survive.
Police arrived to the scene around 6 p.m. Millard was hit by a white Chevrolet Silverado, registered in Maine, per Leominster Police.
Police say the driver stopped and is cooperating with the investigation. The scene was tough for officers to process.
“This was an extremely sad incident for everyone involved,” said Leominster Police Chief Ryan Malatos. “We’re giving officers the resources who responded on the scene to make sure mentally they’re okay as well.”
Resource officers are also at Skyview Middle School where Millard attended.
“Its tough enough to be a 13-year-old today or middle school without a tragic event like this,” said Leominster Mayor Dean Mazzarella.
Millard’s father says he’ll hold tight to the memories he has of their recent trip to the Midwest and knowing Ezra was happy.
“Knowing that they feel like they found a home, they feel like they are able to be who they really are,” said Matusovich. “They’re at the beginning of starting to live life the way they want to makes it all the more heartbreaking.”
Millard’s roller-derby team plans to memorialize Ezra this weekend.
An investigation into the crash is ongoing. No charges are filed at this time.
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