Street Racer Fails to Alert Authorities After Jeep Splits in Half

A Minnesota driver, clocked at speeds exceeding 110 mph, fled the scene after a tragic collision involving a Jeep he was racing. The crash split the Jeep in two and resulted in the deaths of its two passengers, without the driver ever alerting emergency services.

Jordan John Weiland, aged 21, has admitted guilt to two charges of third-degree murder for his involvement in the deaths of 19-year-old Reed Robert Schultz and 18-year-old Finnian Thomas Cronin in Eagan, a suburb near Minneapolis. In a plea agreement, prosecutors agreed to drop two charges of vehicular homicide. Weiland is scheduled for sentencing on September 1.

Police reports indicate that officers were dispatched at approximately 11:20 p.m. on June 14 to a crash site located at the intersection of Highway 149 and Highway 55.

Investigators revealed that the vehicles involved—a Jeep, a Honda Accord, and a Dodge Durango—were engaging in street racing. The Jeep suffered extensive damage after hitting a pole, while Weiland’s Honda collided with a median. Both Schultz and Cronin, the occupants of the Jeep, were found unresponsive and were transported to a hospital, where Schultz was declared dead. Cronin succumbed to his injuries a few weeks later.

Surveillance footage captured the trio of vehicles speeding down the highway, maneuvering recklessly through traffic. The video showed the Jeep and the Honda eventually losing control and crashing. Additional cellphone recordings from within the cars indicated they were traveling at 110 mph in an area with a 45 mph speed limit.

The Honda, which had extensive damage, was unoccupied when cops arrived. Cops learned the car was registered to Weiland, who fled in another car after the crash. The driver of the Dodge, 24-year-old Melody Lynn Little, stayed on scene. She is facing third-degree murder and vehicular homicide charges and is set to go on trial in May, local ABC affiliate KSTP reported.

Little denied to investigators that the trio of vehicles was street racing, but admitted that the Jeep and Dodge were going “way too fast.” She said they were all at a “car meet up” in south St. Paul earlier in the night and were on their way to another one in Eagan when the crash occurred.

Investigators tracked Weiland down at a hospital. He estimated they were going 90 mph when a curve “came out of nowhere,” which caused both vehicles to lose control and crash.

“Weiland knew the Jeep was ‘really f—ed up’ but did not call 911,” cops wrote. “Weiland claimed he was not thinking straight so he left the scene.”

The defendant also admitted to taking two shots of tequila earlier in the day. His blood alcohol content was .013, which was under the legal limit of .08. He denied they were street racing but conceded that it “looked like” they were.

According to his obituary, Schultz was born in Guatemala and was adopted to parents who lived in Minnesota.

“Reed loved making connections with people of all ages. His love for sports, fishing, snowmobiling, music, and video games made it easy for him to start a conversation with anyone he met,” the obituary reads. “Reed began playing baseball at age 5 and the sport helped him grow as a young person and it was where he made many connections with so many people. He learned multiple life lessons from his coaches along the way.”

Cronin’s obituary said he fought valiantly in the two weeks following the crash before he died.

“Finn continues to wield his superpower bringing so many people together — friends, family, neighbors, community — in such a beautiful way,” the obituary reads.