‘How could this happen?’: Mother pleads for information, closure in son’s fatal 2019 hit and run

Investigators are appealing to members of the public for information on the fifth anniversary of what authorities believe was an intentional hit-and-run from 2019 that took the life of a 16-year-old male teenager in East York.

Matthew Dreaver, 16, of Toronto, was struck and killed by a vehicle near Woodbine Avenue and O’Connor Drive just after 2 a.m. on Oct. 7 of that year.

Toronto Police Service (TPS) homicide detectives previously indicated they were searching for two men in connection to the incident. They identified the suspect vehicle as a 2007-to-2012 blue or black Hyundai Santa Fe.

It’s believed that Dreaver and a friend became involved in an altercation with the two men in a vehicle at 1500 Woodbine Avenue just after 2 a.m.

Authorities released graphic and disturbing video footage of the night Dreaver was killed, showing the driver of an SUV mounting the curb and striking the 16-year-old from behind. Dreaver was without vital signs when paramedics arrived and died later in hospital.

The driver fled the area westbound on Bracebridge Avenue, north on Woodbine Avenue, eastbound on O’Connor Drive and then east on St. Clair Avenue East.

Detective Sergeant Brandon Price said the male suspects have not yet been identified. Price said investigators are working with a theory that a passenger exited the SUV and confronted the two boys before Dreaver’s death.

“I am making an appeal directly to the man who was the passenger of that vehicle on that night in 2019,” said Price.

“I believe that you were not in the vehicle at the time the driver ran over and killed Matthew Dreaver. I also believe you did not know that the driver was going to run over Matthew. I am looking to speak with you as a witness in this event.”

Teen’s mother makes emotional plea for justice

Dreaver’s mother, Kelly Jones, attended Friday’s press conference and continues to seek closure in her son’s death.

“Matthew was taken from us five years ago, which destroyed our family and left us with many unanswered questions. How could this happen to our child?”

“Matthew was just a 16-year-old boy who had a life ahead of him before he was robbed of that. Please, if someone has information that could bring us closure and find his murderer, please speak out,” Jones said.

Price said while authorities have exhausted all avenues, new technologies could still lead to an arrest in Dreaver’s death.

“We hope people have been talking and can guide us [to new information],” said Price. “It’s not clear to us what was so shocking to them that the individual, the driver, felt that he needed to do this. I don’t know what the strong motivation was.”

With files from news staff