You shouldn’t be on your phone while driving, but you especially shouldn’t be on a TikTok Live. One influencer learned that lesson the hard way after allegedly killing a man while on stream, and she could now be facing jail time. Here is what happened.
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As we’ve previously reported, TikToker Ty Nesha McCarty-Wroten, who goes by the handle Tea Tyme online, was hosting a livestream Nov. 3 as she drove through Zion, Ill., a suburb north of Chicago. The stream was seemingly going well as the influencer spoke to her followers until she suddenly screamed and abruptly cut the live short, saying she had hit someone.
McCarty-Wroten allegedly struck 59-year-old Darren Lucas as he was crossing an intersection. Lucas was rushed to the hospital and pronounced dead from blunt force injuries.
According to The Guardian, McCarty-Wroten was questioned by police after the accident and explained that she thought she had a green light before she spotted Lucas too late and hit him. The influencer was then released from police custody without being charged.
A couple of days after the livestream and following significant backlash from viewers, Tea Tyme went back to TikTok to ask for donations to her Cash App so she could take a mental health break from the internet.
“You know I don’t like asking y’all for s***, but if y’all find it in y’all’s heart, y’all wanna support, my Cash App is right there,” McCarty-Wroten said in a since-deleted TikTok. But simply logging off would not be enough for Tea Tyme to escape the tragic accident.
During the investigation, police caught wind of the influencer’s online presence through tips. Security footage also showed that McCarty-Wroten had, in fact, driven through a red light at 35 mph without slowing down before hitting Lucas, according to CBS News.
After investigations, a warrant was issued for her arrest on charges of reckless homicide and aggravated use of an electronic communications device while driving, per CBS News. McCarty-Wroten was arrested after being caught by police while attempting to leave her home with multiple bags on Tuesday, Dec. 23.
While she was originally supposed to be held until her court hearing, she has been released from custody with conditions. Those conditions are not yet public, but McCarty-Wroten is scheduled to be in court Jan. 27, according to ABC7 News Chicago.
Since the incident, Lucas’ son-in-law, Christopher King, has launched a GoFundMe to help raise $5,000 for Lucas’ widow, whom he described as Lucas’ “everything.”
“Darren Lucas was my father-in-law, but he was so much more,” King wrote. “He leaves behind a wife without her everything. Darren’s wishes were to help those in need. Be it blood, adoption, and if money, to use it towards charities that need it, like St. Jude’s, etc. But, I know he would really want his everything to not have to worry so much about the future, especially without him by her side,” the GoFundMe read.
At the time of writing, 91% of the $5,000 goal has been raised.
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