What to Know
- A McLaren was traveling southbound on the northbound I-805 HOV lane in excess of 100 miles per hour and slammed into an SUV.
- Three people died and eight people were injured in the crash that happened near the Governor Drive exit at 4:30 p.m.
- A family therapist who worked with abused children and her 12-year-old daughter were killed in the crash.
Family members of a teenager who drove his McLaren the wrong way on Interstate 805, killing a mother and daughter, had called police in the hours before the fiery crash, a neighbor told NBC 7.
The neighbor, who wished not to be identified, said Trevor Heitmann’s father told her that his son had “snapped” five days before the deadly wrong-way crash that took his life and the lives of two others.
Heitmann’s father came to San Diego from Colorado two days prior to try and help, according to the neighbor.
San Diego police were at Heitmann’s Carmel Valley house at around 8:30 a.m. on the day of the crash, Thursday, Aug. 23, the neighbor said.
She said she also saw an SUV parked across the driveway and thought it might have been there to block the McLaren inside the garage.
The San Diego Police Department confirmed to NBC 7 that starting at 8:14 a.m. that day, there were three calls to the department regarding Heitmann.
“At the time, their relation to each other was not known,” SDPD Lt. Brent Williams said.
Williams added that the department is currently investigating the relationship of the calls to the deadly collision.
The neighbor said she learned from Heitmann's father that 18-year-old Trevor had been driving at fast speeds through red lights and on the wrong side of the road.
Police told the father that given his son's age, they couldn’t do anything about it, she said.
Hours later, at 4:26 p.m. just minutes before the deadly crash, the neighbor said she received a text from her husband who heard a crash and saw the McLaren zoom away from the home.
Heitmann had slammed into the SUV blocking the driveway and nearly ran over his father, the neighbor said.
She and her husband later learned the father had been waiting to take Trevor to an appointment to see a psychiatrist.
“He came outside and he didn't make eye contact,” the neighbor said. “It seemed like he didn’t even recognize him. [His father] said ‘Come on, need to go,’ and Trevor said ‘No, I have to go do something,' and he got in the car.”
Heitmann’s father told the neighbor’s husband that he was going to call 911 immediately because now there was something his son could hopefully be arrested for.
CHP investigators believe Heitmann drove southbound onto the northbound I-805 HOV lane at the Carrol Canyon Road direct access ramp.
They estimate he reached speeds over 100 mph before colliding with a Hyundai SUV near Governor Drive, killing a 42-year-old mother and her 12-year-old daughter, and himself.
The neighbor said she believes Heitmann’s family tried to get him help and while she doesn’t blame anyone for what happened, she said there needs to be a bigger conversation about what should be done to stop people from hurting themselves and others.
“My hope is by sharing this story it will heighten the awareness of what all needs to happen around the follow up of the statement that has become so common, 'If you see something, say something.' What happens after you say something?" she said.
Heitmann operated a Youtube channel where he discussed virtual gun models, or "skins," for the popular online game Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Over the past four and a half years his videos racked up more than 200 million views.
NBC 7 has asked for a report on the calls. We do not know if police officers spoke with Trevor Heitmann when they responded to the home.
