A Pasadena teenager was killed and three others were injured Sunday evening when the car they were traveling in spun out of control and struck two trees, Anne Arundel County police said yesterday.
Justin Wesley Grahe, 15, was in the back seat of a 2007 Toyota Yaris driven by Nicholas Vakoutis III about 8:30 p.m., police said.
According to police, Vakoutis, 18, was traveling north on Marley Neck Boulevard in Glen Burnie at high speed when he veered to the right at the top of a hill. Vakoutis then lost control of the vehicle, police said.
The car went off the road, up an embankment and hit a large oak tree, police said. After striking the oak tree, the vehicle careened into a smaller tree, police said. The left rear of the car, where Grahe was buckled in, was badly damaged, police said.
Paramedics declared Grahe dead at the scene. He was a rising junior at Chesapeake High School.
Ronald Jake Houck, 19, who also was in the back seat, suffered internal injuries and was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, where he was in critical but stable condition.
Grahe's older brother, Joshua Austin Grahe, 17, was treated and released from Shock Trauma yesterday morning. Vakoutis is in fair condition at Shock Trauma.
Police said all four were wearing seat belts.
Cpl. Mark Shawkey, a spokesman for Anne Arundel County police, said speed was a factor in the crash. He said alcohol was not involved. The investigation is continuing.
Justin Grahe was a homebody who loved video games almost as much as his grandmother's sugar cookies, his family said.
"I just love him and miss him so terribly," his grandmother, Evelyn Grahe, said. "My prayers will always be with him. God will watch over him."
nia.henderson@baltsun.com