The car went off the left side of the road, hit a utility pole and a tree. It then started rolling, and Haber was thrown from the car, OSP said. The vehicle then crashed into another tree.
The passenger, 19-year-old Alex C. Lovett, had to be extricated from the wreckage, authorities said. The two teens graduated from Centerville High School earlier this year.
Troopers said Haber may have been speeding at the time of the crash, and he was not wearing a seatbelt. The crash remains under investigation.
Both men were taken to Miami Valley Hospital, where Haber died from his injuries. The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office confirmed Haber’s death Sunday afternoon. Lovett was in critical condition Monday morning. A friend told the Dayton Daily News that he had surgery to remove part of his skull in order to relieve swelling in his brain.
News of the crash spread quickly on social media Sunday. Classmates and friends gathered outside of Centerville High School on Franklin Street Sunday evening to mourn the loss of a Haber.
“He’s a great guy,” said tearful 18-year-old Emily Schirmer, of Centerville, who graduated with Haber this year. “He was always excited. He loved life.”
Several former classmates said they would miss Haber’s smile.
“Everyone loved him,” said Elliott Heigel, 18, who also graduated in 2012. “He was a great kid.”
Benjamin Brown, a 20-year-old Centerville High School alumnus, said Haber was always having a good time.
“He was fun to be around,” Brown said.
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