Georgia high school math teacher Jason Hughes has died after he was accidentally run over outside his Gainesville home when a group of teenagers tried to flee a late-night toilet-paper prank, authorities said.
The Hall County Sheriff's Office said the 40-year-old North Hall High School teacher was struck late Friday after he came outside and then stumbled into the street as the teens pulled away in two vehicles.
He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, prompting a criminal investigation and community shock in the north Georgia county, according to the New York Times.
Investigators said five 18-year-olds from Gainesville had gone to Hughes' home to "roll" his trees with toilet paper, a prank they described as a longstanding student tradition that marks the end of the school year.
When Hughes stepped outside to approach them, the teenagers rushed back into their vehicles to leave the neighborhood.
As driver Jayden Ryan Wallace began to move his pickup along North Gate Drive, Hughes tripped and fell into the roadway and was run over, according to the sheriff's office.
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Deputies said the teenagers stopped immediately, called 911, and tried to give first aid until emergency crews arrived.
Wallace, 18, has been charged with first-degree vehicular homicide and reckless driving under Georgia law, while four other teens face misdemeanor counts of criminal trespass and littering on private property, Global News reported.
The teenagers were released on bond while investigators review video, physical evidence, and witness statements to determine whether any additional action is needed.
Family members said Hughes knew about the prank ahead of time and had planned to surprise the students rather than confront them when he stepped outside his home.
His wife, Laura Hughes, also a teacher at North Hall High, has urged prosecutors to drop the charges and called the crash a tragic accident that grew out of a tradition gone too far.
The Hall County school district said grief counselors were made available at North Hall High School and has reminded students and parents to avoid pranks that put people at risk, as per the New York Post.
