Hundreds of friends join web tribute to girl, 17, killed in ‘joyride’ crash
Hundreds of people have posted messages on a site dedicated to a teenager killed when an alleged joyrider drove a car into a telegraph pole in Croydon.
Mikeala Stevens, 17, was a passenger in the car, which was being driven by another 17-year-old girl when it crashed.
Local residents reported hearing a car horn shortly before the collision at 3.15am on Saturday, then four loud bangs as the vehicle hit other objects before crashing into the telegraph pole in Overbury Crescent, New Addington.
Witnesses saw three people lying in the road. The driver and another passenger were taken to hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening but Mikeala could not be saved.
She had just returned home after spending an evening with her boyfriend when another girl is believed to have come to her house, also in New Addington, to pick her up.
Mikeala is thought to have got into the car believing it belonged to her friend, unaware that it had allegedly been taken without consent from the friend's mother.
Nearly 700 people had joined the Facebook tribute site to Mikeala — who was also known as Caylah Carter — by this morning.
One wrote: "A beautiful young girl taken from us so soon. She was always smiling and she had a very kind heart. She will be missed by so many people. Rest in peace angel. Sleep tight."
Michelle Turner wrote: "R.I.P
Caylah... you will be missed by so many people. Sleep tight and shine bright babe xxx."
Scotland Yard said the driver was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, aggravated vehicle theft, driving without insurance and failing to provide a specimen of breath.
She was freed on bail until tomorrow.
Local councillor George Ayres has called for the introduction of chicanes and speed cameras to slow traffic in the area, after several young people died in road accidents over the past 12 months.
He said: "We need speed cameras, traffic-calming measures like chicanes and we have done for some time. We need traffic-slowing measures because a lot of the roads in New Addington are straight, long roads and are favoured by young drivers."
Anyone who witnessed the crash is asked to call the police collision investigation unit on 020 8285 1574.
