College of San Mateo football player Ja'Marion Grace dies in San Jose crash
The short version
- Ja'Marion Grace, 19, died in a crash on northbound Highway 101 in San Jose early Sunday.
- CHP said the driver of a 2013 Ford Fusion lost control; Grace was a passenger and was ejected.
- Grace played football at the College of San Mateo and previously attended high school in Fairfield.
- Investigators have not said whether impairment was involved and are seeking witnesses.
The 19-year-old, remembered by family and teammates, was a passenger in a one-car crash on northbound Highway 101 early Sunday.
Ja'Marion Grace, a 19-year-old football player at the College of San Mateo, died early Sunday after a single-car crash on northbound Highway 101 near Yerba Buena Road in San Jose. According to the California Highway Patrol, the driver of a 2013 Ford Fusion lost control, and Grace, riding as a passenger, was thrown from the vehicle.
His mother, Ashley Grant, told reporters the two had exchanged messages late Saturday, including a small money transfer and a thank-you text, before she woke to a flood of calls and texts the next morning. She and Grace's father later confirmed his identity with the coroner's office.
Grace was known as "Pop" among friends and "Mar" to his mother. He spent his childhood in Vallejo and later attended high school in Fairfield, where family members said he played football through his senior season.
The College of San Mateo football program paid tribute online, writing that Grace gave everything he had every day and that he would always be family. His grandmother, Felicia Brown, said the family is devastated and that he will be deeply missed by everyone who knew him.
CHP said it has not yet determined whether drugs or alcohol played a role and asked anyone who witnessed the crash to contact investigators. A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help cover funeral expenses.
