Owner of stolen car speaks out after car used in crash that killed 12-year-old girl killed and injured a dozen others in Aurora

Police say eight teens were packed into a Dodge Journey that was reported stolen when the 15-year-old driver smashed into a Toyota Tacoma on Saturday night. A 12-year-old girl died in the crash. The seven others in that car were taken to the hospital with varying degrees of injuries.

The four occupants of the Tacoma were 6 months old, 3, 29 and 31, and they were also all taken to the hospital; the two adults with life-threatening injuries.

The crash happened near South Buckley Road and East Kent Drive Saturday just after 7 p.m. in Aurora.

Police say the Dodge Journey was reported stolen earlier that day, that the driver was driving at a high rate of speed and believe he was impaired, which contributed to the crash.

Living two miles away from the scene, Madison Kwon was not involved in the wreck, but her vehicle was. She noticed it was gone earlier that morning and called the police. 

Hours later, she saw a news story about a crash involving a stolen Dodge Journey and knew immediately it was her vehicle.  

"When I saw that article and saw how many people were in the car, I was honestly shook [sic] on how it happened," Kwon said. "It blows my mind. I would have never thought it would be some younger kids that had stolen it."

Representatives with Aurora Police were not available for interviews Monday, but a department spokesperson said the crash continues a troubling trend of increased vehicle thefts in the city over the past few years. From 2020 to 2021, officers saw an increase of about 1,600 vehicle thefts, and so far this year, they've responded to more vehicle theft calls than in all of 2021.  

The driver of that stolen car was going north on South Buckley Road as the Tacoma turned left onto East Kent Drive from southbound South Buckley Road. That's when the teen driver smashed into the passenger side of the Tacoma, investigators say.

The 15-year-old driver was arrested at the scene for an outstanding warrant and police say additional charges related to the crash are pending.

Kwon, a single mother of two, now joins that unfortunate club. While she does have car insurance, she said she's without a car until the investigation and her agent can handle the claim.  

"The car seats, the stroller, my kid's coats; a lot of stuff was stolen. They took my credit card and spent money too," Kwon said.  

"I'll kind of just go day by day now and figure out what I'm going to do now."