10-year-old dies in accident after Kenny Chesney concert identified

The 10-year-old Massachusetts boy who died in a drunken car crash Saturday following the Kenny Chesney concert has been identified as Jaylen Bush-Victorian, according to Brockton Public Schools.

The fifth-grader attended Downey School with his siblings, who were also involved in the accident. And his mother works as a teaching assistant at the Barrett Russell Early Childhood Center.

“It is difficult to find words to describe the sense of loss this tragedy brings,” the school district wrote on Facebook. “Our thoughts are with the family and all who love them as they grieve.”

Massachusetts State Police said Michael Escolas, 42, of Oxford stole a car from the Gillette Stadium parking lot, drove drunk along Route 1 and rammed another car carrying the family of six at an intersection. Jaylen was killed and Escolas and the five other family members were injured, authorities said.

Escolas is charged with intoxicated manslaughter, theft of a motor vehicle, driving while intoxicated (second offense), negligent operation, failure to respect marked roadway and nine counts of assault with a dangerous weapon in connection with the accident, according to court records.

During his arraignment in Wrentham District Court, Escolas pleaded not guilty, court records show. As requested by prosecutors, the judge ordered him to be held in prison for $100,000. Conditions of his release include not driving, not drinking alcohol and not having contact with his family. He must also wear an ankle monitor to monitor his drinking and whereabouts, according to the Norfolk County District Attorney's Office.

What happened on Saturday evening

Before the crash, Escolas stole the Jeep Grand Cherokee of a Vermont couple who were attending the Kenny Chesney concert at Gillette Stadium on Saturday night, police previously said. He then drove the car south on Route 1 at a high rate of speed before colliding with the family of six's Nissan Altima at the intersection with I-495.

A Massachusetts State Police trooper who was called to the scene reported finding the Nissan with “severe” damage to the left side and the Jeep with severe damage to the right front. He wrote in a police report that the entire interior of the Jeep, whose airbag had deployed, was covered in blood.

• Read more: Massachusetts man charged with drunken manslaughter and other charges after car crash involving child

After the accident, the 32-year-old father and 31-year-old mother were treated at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, according to police reports. Their 10-year-old son was taken to Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro, where he was pronounced dead.

The couple's other children — ages 11, 8 and 4 — were treated at Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence, according to police reports. Three cars at the intersection were also damaged in the crash, but their drivers did not require hospitalization.

What Escolas told investigators

A state police trooper found Escolas standing next to the Jeep, covered in blood and shirtless, the police report said. The trooper described him as having an “overwhelming” odor of alcohol on his breath, slow and slurred speech and bloodshot, glassy eyes.

When the officer asked Escolas what happened, according to the police report, he said, “I came up quickly. I don't know,” before pointing to the street. When asked where he was coming from, he repeatedly told the officer he was coming from a pizza place over 40 minutes away in Sutton that he mistakenly believed was nearby.

• Read more: Police say a child died in a drunk driving accident on Route 1 involving a stolen car

Escolas later admitted to attending the Kenny Chesney concert after the officer noticed he was wearing a wristband that read “Floor Access,” according to the police report. He refused a breathalyzer or blood test but failed other sobriety tests at the scene.

Escolas also apparently believed he was driving his wife's car at the time of the accident and, according to the police report, seemed genuinely confused when she later told him she had her car with her. He was most recently charged with drunk driving in Worcester District Court in 2010.

According to court records, the Oxford man is due back in court on September 19 for a probation hearing.