Myrtle Beach man arrested for hit-and-run accident that killed NC college baseball player
Police have arrested a Myrtle Beach man for the hit-and-run accident Sunday that killed a North Carolina college athlete.
Myrtle Beach Police charged Jason Todd Sauro, 45, Monday with traffic/hit and run resulting in death, according to a Facebook post.
Jackson Yelle, a 21-year-old student at Elon University, was killed in the hit-and-run accident while apparently trying to cross the road at Highway 17 Bypass north of 21st Avenue North, police said.
From January 1 through Dec. 31 of last year, Horry County had 25 pedestrian fatalities, according to the South Carolina Public Safety. So far this year, there have been three.
Sauro will have a bond hearing at 4 p.m.
Yelle was in Myrtle Beach for a social trip with other baseball teammates and not part of a school event, an official said Monday.
Yelle, of North Eastham, Massachusetts, was part of a Club Baseball Team, which is different from the Elon Univerity’s varsity baseball team, according to Owen Covington, assistant vice president for strategic communications and media relations.
Club Baseball is an intercollegiate baseball organization that travels across the country to play other club teams. However, it doesn’t appear that Yelle and his team members were in Myrtle Beach for a game, Covington said.
The junior was on a weekend trip in Myrtle Beach, according to a Sunday statement on the North Carolina school’s website from Jon Dooley, vice president for student life. Yelle was a business analytics major and statistics minor, according to his LinkedIn profile.
The university is hosting a gathering of friends at 5:30 p.m. Monday to allow students to express their condolences, Covington said.
Since the accident, tributes have been pouring in about the 21-year-old on social media.
Yelle, called “JT” for short, was described as a funny and goofy guy with a big heart and who loved the game of baseball.
The Cape Cod Baseball Club posted on Facebook, “Jackson (JT) Yelle from N. Eastham and former Riptide member (2017-19) will be forever remembered as a highly intelligent, athletically gifted performer. ... He was the type of player that every coach dreams on having. He was the guy I went to to get a pulse on our direction.”
“Words cannot describe how much our family will miss you. This senseless tragedy has taken you from us way too soon. Jackson, you will forever be in our hearts,” Elon’s Club Baseball team posted on Instagram.
Yelle’s father commented on the team’s post Sunday, saying, “Our family thanks you all so much. We Appreciate all the kinds words. We will be on campus tomorrow and would love to gather the group so I can say a few words to you all.”
