Tragedy struck a South Carolina beach town on Sunday night.
A North Carolina collegiate athlete was tragically killed in a fatal hit-and-run accident in Myrtle Beach over the weekend. Jackson Yelle, a 21-year-old junior at Elon University, was on a weekend trip in Myrtle Beach with some of his Club Baseball teammates.
According to police, Yelle was struck by a vehicle at 1:30 a.m. after he attempted to cross a highway on foot. According to the Sun News, an officer with Horry County Police Department alerted Myrtle Beach Police nearly six hours later that an unresponsive male was located beside the highway.
After an investigation, police arrested the man accused of hitting and killing Yelle. The Myrtle Beach Police Department arrested Jason Todd Sauro, 45, of Myrtle Beach on Monday morning and charged him with hit and run resulting in death.
Yelle was in Myrtle Beach with other Club Baseball members, but they were not there for a game. The Elon Club Baseball team is separate from the University’s Division I program.
Elon hosted a gathering on Monday night, allowing students to pay tribute to Yelle.
The University released a statement on Monday, honoring Yelle, who was originally from North Eastham, Massachusetts.
Yelle was remembered for his laughter and his caring, with multiple people recounting how he would check on them to make sure they were doing OK and also connect with them to make sure they felt welcome. Well-known for building connections across campus, one friend said Yelle could find the positive aspects of anything. He was known for always wanting to be around other people, and welcoming new friends to his growing group of connections. He loved to play poker, meet new people, belt out the occasional song and most of all, spend time with his friends.
[Myrtle Beach Online, WMBF News]
