Left: Zachary Edward Kreusch (Seminole County Sheriff’s Office). Right: Dylan C. Astacio (DeGusipe Funeral Home & Crematory)
A 21-year-old man in Florida was arrested this week for allegedly killing his 20-year-old friend after taking his mom’s new Porsche Boxer for a drive and trying to test the vehicle’s limits, resulting in a fiery car wreck more than a year ago. Zachary Edward Kreusch was taken into custody on Monday and charged with one count of negligent vehicular homicide, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
According to a probable cause affidavit, the Florida Highway Patrol at about 10:42 p.m. on May 16, 2023, notified the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office of a single-vehicle crash on Brumley Road near White Tail Trail that resulted in the death of a 20-year-old male.
Investigators said that Kreusch was traveling westbound on Brumley Road when he lost control of the Porsche and slammed into a tree before “becoming fully engulfed in flames.” The passenger — later identified as Dylan C. Astacio — was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. A subsequent autopsy performed by the medical examiner determined that Astacio’s cause of death was “blunt force impact of the head, torso, and extremities.”
Medical records further stated that Astacio “was ejected from a vehicle” and was trapped “under a car which later caught on fire.”
Based on the evidence at the scene and Kreusch’s alleged statements to authorities, investigators determined that he was operating the sports car in a “willful and reckless manner” which led to the fatal crash.
“I was driving my mom’s new car and my friend wanted to see how fast it could go,” Kreusch allegedly told the 911 emergency operator. “So, I started it down the road and we lost control. And it went into the ditch and it flipped, went over the fence and my friend is stuck and he’s not breathing. I think I just killed my friend.”
When a deputy asked Kreusch if he was in the car with the victim, he allegedly responded, “Yes, I was. It was my fault.”
Authorities said that Kreusch was “distraught” throughout his interactions with investigators and was filmed on body camera footage “spontaneously” making statements such as, “I have his blood on my hands,” “I’m so sorry,” and “I’m the reason he’s f—ing dead.”
While authorities said that Kreusch did not appear to be impaired, they noted that he was not familiar with the sports car and had to be driving at a speed well above the posted 30 mph speed limit.
“A high-performance sports car does not respond to driver input, such as steering, braking, or accelerating, in the same manner as an average two-door vehicle would respond,” investigators wrote in the affidavit. “A driver who is inexperienced with the operation of high-performance sports cars should operate the vehicle with additional caution to prevent accident, injury, or death.”
Kreusch was processed at the Seminole County Jail and released after posting bond of $15,000. He made his first appearance in court on Tuesday and is currently scheduled to appear for his arraignment on Aug. 27, records show. He has not yet entered a plea.
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