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‘He’s never coming home’: Family of man killed in crash involving stolen SUV speaks out

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The family of the 23-year-old man who died after troopers say a stolen SUV with a 15-year-old behind the wheel crashed into his car in Orange County described him as the heart and soul of his family.

“We don’t know how we’re going to get through this,” his mother Dawn Romero said.

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Trooper said Christian Romero, 23, was coming off of State Road 408 at Dean Road around 4:30 a.m. Sunday when a stolen SUV full of teenagers, including a 13-year-old, ran a red light and crashed into his car, flipping it over.

The Romeros said Christian had big dreams. Sunday morning he was coming back from his part-time job at the Beacham where he was working to save up to go back to school to get his real estate license.

Read: Troopers investigate deadly crash involving reported stolen car full of teens

“He’s never coming home and they all get to go home to their families,” Dawn said between tears.

Channel 9 reached out to the Florida Highway Patrol to see if any charges have been filed in the case and they said investigators are working on charges but have not filed any yet.

Read: FHP: 1 dead, 6 injured after teen driving stolen car runs red light in Orange County

A GoFundMe has been set up for the family. Click here to donate.

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Sarah Wilson

Sarah Wilson, WFTV.com

Sarah Wilson joined WFTV Channel 9 in 2018 as a digital producer after working as an award-winning newspaper reporter for nearly a decade in various communities across Central Florida.