Taylor Swift fans are rallying around the family of Jacob Lewis who was tragically beaten and killed by a suspected drunk driver as Lewis was leaving the singer’s show Friday night in Houston.
Lewis, 20, was injured trying to push his car to the side of the road after he and his sister had car problems on the way home from the Tour of Eras.
Houston police said Alan Bryant, 34, hit them and fled the scene, followed by a Good Samaritan tow truck driver who witnessed the collision.
Since the fatal accident, fans of the “Lover” singer have come together to remember one of their own, posting hundreds of tributes and raising thousands of dollars to help Lewis’ family give him comfort.
a GoFundMe Page collected more than $60,000 a day from 4,000 donations, hundreds of which were from “Swifties” donations of $13—Taylor’s lucky number—and left lyrics to commemorate his life.
Taylor Swift fans rally around the family of Jacob Lewis who was tragically beaten and killed by a suspected drunk driver as Lewis was leaving the singer’s show Friday night.
Lewis, 20, was injured trying to push his car to the side of the road after he and his sister experienced car problems on the way home from the IRAs Tour in Houston.
Houston police said Alan Bryant, 34, ran into the couple and fled the scene only to be followed by a Good Samaritan tow truck driver who witnessed the collision occur.
In Lewis family’s GoFundMe comments, Swift fans donate $13 — Taylor’s lucky number — and leave lyrics to commemorate his life
Lewis and his sister, April Bancroft, had pulled over to the shoulder of the road when they developed car trouble late Friday night after leaving NRG Stadium.
The 20-year-old musical theater student got out to start pushing, but was immediately hit by the suspected drunk driver.
“To make matters worse, the driver (Bryant) got out, helped my daughter get my son out from under his car, saw what happened and got in his car and left,” said Jacob’s father, Steve Lewis. Kho.
Police said officers were called to assist and Bryant was arrested after he was followed by the truck driver who witnessed the crash.
The grieving father said his son was a good force and loved video games, storytelling and musical theatre. Lewis is also eligible for the Dad said the Pokémon World Championships three times.
In a Facebook post, Steve said he would remember his son as a “loving and loyal young man who was devoted to his family and friends.”
His last act was to drive his sister to safety in a dark street. There is no way to describe the magnitude of this loss and the emptiness left in our hearts.
In a separate post, Lewis’ mother Karen Sobchak Lewis said her son was kidnapped “very early” and that she believes he will “do great things with his life.”
He was the best son a mother could ask for. He was always willing to help, put up with my tendencies to overdo it at times, and filled my days with joy. He was my baby and very much like me. A real mama’s boy, but he loved it! ” I wrote.
Lewis’ parents thanked the public for their support and well wishes for their daughter, who was injured but is expected to survive.
Since his arrest, Bryant has been charged Police said failure to stop and provide assistance and other charges are possible.
Lewis and his sister, April Bancroft, had pulled over to the shoulder of the road when they developed car trouble late Friday night after leaving NRG Stadium.
The 20-year-old musical theater student got out to start pushing, but was immediately hit by the suspected drunk driver.
In a Facebook post, Steve said he would remember his son as a “loving and loyal young man who was devoted to his family and friends.”
Jacob Lewis (left) with his parents Karen Sopczak Lewis (center) and Steve Lewis (right)
In a separate post, Lewis’ mother Karen Sobchak Lewis said her son was kidnapped “very early” and that she believes he will “do great things with his life.”
Steve Lewis said his son was a force for good and loved video games, storytelling, and musical theatre. Louis has also qualified for the Pokémon World Championships three times
Since then, Jacob has been memorialized by fans of the singer who came together during a time of need to support his family.
In the days following Lewis’ death, dozens of Taylor Swift fan accounts shared the young man’s story along with a GoFundMe link for his funeral expenses.
A Twitter user who goes by the facts about Taylor Swift wrote: “Jacob Lewis, Swift who went to ‘The Eras Tour’ last night passed away due to a car accident hit by a drunk driver.
This account has more than 100,000 followers and their tweet has been viewed about 835,000 times.
Another account called “Taylor Swift Updates” with 262,000 followers shared Louis’ story with a GoFundMe link to his family.
Swift fans were so excited to shower the Louis family with love and support, they even had a “Rip Jacob” trend on Twitter Monday afternoon.
Seeing RIP JACOB trend made me cry so much. The way fans are coming together to send love, money, and support to his family and friends at this time is so beautiful,” wrote one Twitter user who goes by Allie.
Sometimes that fan can actually be magical. I love you all. I hope his family gets justice for what happened,” Allie continued.
Fans also showed their support in GoFundMe comments that began over the weekend.
GoFundMe page has raised over $60,000 with hundreds of donations from ‘Swifties’
Jacob (on the Iras Tour with his sister) has since been memorialized by fans of the singer who came together in his time of need to support his family.
In the days following Louis’ death, dozens of Taylor Swift fan accounts shared the young man’s story along with a GoFundMe link for his funeral expenses.
Another account called “Taylor Swift Updates,” with its 262k followers, shared Louis’ story as well as a GoFundMe link to his family.
Since its inception, the fundraiser has generated more than $60,000 and has received hundreds of comments.
“Hold on to the memories, they’ll hold on to you,” wrote one Swiftie who donated $13, quoting Swift’s song “New Year’s Day.”
“I was bigger than the whole sky… I was more than just a short time,” one donor wrote, using words from Bigger Than the Whole Heaven.
“Live the night you danced like you knew our lives would never be the same,” another wrote.
Another Swiftie replied, “The stars in your eyes are brighter than the tupelo,” using the “Dorothea” quote.
“Just like a folk song, your love will pass on,” she wrote another song that shares the lyrics to “Seven.”
Swift herself has not spoken publicly about the death as of Monday afternoon.
