Teen killed in Dearborn Heights street racing crash, police urge parental caution

DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich. (FOX 2) - It was a horrific lesson for young drivers on Thursday when a 16-year-old boy lost his life in a high-speed car crash in Dearborn Heights.

What they're saying:

FOX 2 was told he was street racing on Ford Road just east of Telegraph when he lost control of his car and crashed into a business. The driver, Ahmed Al-Badery, was killed.

Hussein Jaber, a friend of the victim, spoke to FOX 2 the day after the crash, still in shock.

"Took one of us to die for us to now understand that it can really end that fast," he said. "What do you get, a 10/20 second thrill? I mean, it’s fun, you’re speeding, but 2 seconds later he lost his life."

Big picture view:

Meanwhile, police in Dearborn and Dearborn Heights have seen an uptick in dangerous driving, especially among younger drivers.

"It’s just an unimaginable tragedy, and my heart goes out to that family. We had a young girl who was hit going to school several weeks ago. My heart continues to ache for that family," said Police Chief Issa Shahin.

He later said in December, another Dearborn teen, a 15-year-old Fordson student, was hit by a teen driver with heavy tints while walking to school.

Officials say she is still in critical condition.

What you can do:

The chief says it all starts at home in attempting to prevent more horrific crashes from happening.

"My 19-year-old son Yousef, there’s nothing more that he would want than a Hemi or a fast-powered car, but I love Yousef enough that I’m not buying him that car, and parents need to do the same thing," he said. "Use technology to your advantage. I have Life 360 on all my kids' phones. I know how fast they’re going. If they’re going too fast, I get an alert, and I don’t think that’s too much."

What's next:

The man Ahmed Al-Badery was street racing against was ticketed, and his car was impounded.