The Michigan Catholic community is rallying around six young children whose parents were tragically killed by a wrong-way driver in a stolen vehicle on Saturday.
It was in the early morning hours of January 6 when Ryan and Jen Ambrosio of Farmington Hills were heading back home from a date night and were fatally struck by Angel Melendez-Ortiz, 35, who was actively fleeing police in a stolen Ford truck, reports the Detroit News.
The violent crash occurred on the Lodge Freeway near Civic Center Drive at around 1:30 a.m., soon after Michigan State Police arrived at a gas station on Eight Mile Road to see a 2006 Ford Super Duty truck being carjacked.
Troopers attempted to pull over Melendez-Ortiz, but they say he fled the scene at over 100 miles per hour.
“The pursuit continued northbound onto the Lodge with the suspect continuing north onto Telegraph Road,” the outlet reported, adding that the suspect was driving recklessly with the headlights off before driving the wrong way down the exit ramp and onto the freeway.
Police say Melendez-Ortiz continued to drive at high speed in the wrong direction with the lights off until he allegedly hit the Ambrosios’ 2011 GMC Terrain.
The driver of the carjacked vehicle was transported to a hospital for treatment of his injuries, while the married couple died at the scene. Ryan was just 45 years old, and Jen was 43.
They leave behind six children from the ages of two to nine, according to the Detroit Catholic.
Brandi Burke, a cousin of Jen Ambrosio, launched a fundraiser in support of the newly orphaned children, raising more than half a million dollars in just five days.
“They were so loved by so many of us,” Burke wrote on the GoFundMe page. “Their families, friends, church, and community groups are reeling from this shocking loss.”
Support has poured in from the family’s church community at Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Farmington Hills.
“The greatest impact of this tragedy is (and will continue to be) on their six young children: Amelia, Maria Grace, Faustina, Benedict, Raphael, and Julian,” the grieving relative wrote on the donation page. “Ranging in age from 2-9 years old, they now have to navigate life’s ups and downs without their parents by their side.”
Burke added that the family is “incredibly grateful for the outpouring of prayers, hugs, kind words, tears shared, and meals prepared thus far.”
She also said that the six children will continue to be raised together by family.
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald charged Melendez-Ortiz with two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of fleeing and eluding police causing death, two counts of reckless driving causing death, and two counts of operating a vehicle with a suspended license.
The suspect remains in the hospital, receiving medical treatment.
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