Young Massachusetts man killed in hit-and-run crash while on college baseball trip in Myrtle Beach
A young Massachusetts man was killed by a hit-and-run driver while on a college baseball trip in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, over the weekend, officials said.
Jackson Yelle, 21, of North Eastham, was found unresponsive along the Highway 17 Bypass north of 21st Avenue North just before 7:30 a.m. Sunday, according to the Myrtle Beach Police Department.
Investigators say Yelle was struck by 45-year-old Myrtle Beach native Jason Todd Sauro about six hours earlier as he attempted to cross the bypass on foot. A Horry County police officer found Yelle and notified Myrtle Beach police.
Sauro was later tracked down and arrested on charges including hit-and-run resulting in Yelle’s death.
Yelle was a junior at Elon University in North Carolina, where he was a member of the Elon Club Baseball Team, according to school officials.
Hundreds of people from the university community whose lives were touched by Yelle came together in the Numen Lumen Pavilion on Monday to remember him. Yelle was remembered for his laughter and his caring, with multiple people recounting how he would check on them to make sure they were doing OK and also connect with them to make sure they felt welcome.
In a statement, Elon University wrote, “Well-known for building connections across campus, one friend said Yelle could find the positive aspects of anything. He was known for always wanting to be around other people, and welcoming new friends to his growing group of connections. He loved to play poker, meet new people, belt out the occasional song, and most of all, spend time with his friends.”
Yelle was a former member of the Cape Riptide Travel Team Baseball Program, club officials said in a Facebook post. He had been traveling with his Elon baseball teammates when he was killed.
“The Cape Cod Baseball Club and the Riptide program is devastated to hear the loss of this fine young man, tragically killed in a hit-and-run accident while traveling with his Club baseball team from Elon University to Myrtle Beach” the post read. “He was the type of player that every coach dreams of having. He was the guy I went to to get a pulse on our direction.”
Cape Cod Baseball Club said Yelle will be forever remembered as a “highly intelligent, athletically gifted performer.”
“Our hearts, thoughts, and prayers go out to the entire Yelle family as they mourn the loss of their son,” the Club added.
Sauro faced a bond hearing on Monday in South Carolina.
An investigation remains ongoing.
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