WRENTHAM, Mass. — A man charged in connection with a crash involving a stolen SUV on Route 1 in Plainville that left a 10-year-old boy dead over the weekend faced a judge on Monday.
Michael Escolas, 42, of Oxford, was arraigned in Wrentham District Court on charges including motor vehicle manslaughter, operating under the influence, and larceny of a motor vehicle, according to Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey.
Escolas was held on $100,000 bail, ordered to have a non-contact order with the victim’s family or witnesses, must remain alcohol-free and use a scram device three times a day. He also can’t drive without a valid Massachusetts license.
The family of 10-year-old Jaylen Bush-Victorian called Escolas a “murderer” as he walked out of Wrentham District Court in handcuffs.
Three pews filled with the victim’s family members sobbed quietly.
“He was a good kid, he was so happy he was a beautiful child he was loved and adored by everyone,” said the victim’s grandmother.
Escolas is accused of stealing a Jeep Cherokee that belonged to a Vermont couple who had parked the vehicle in lot P10 outside Gillette Stadium to attend the Kenny Chesney concert on Saturday night.
Investigators say Escolas then crashed the Jeep into a Nissan Altima with Rhode Island plates that was occupied by a family of six, including a mother, father, and their four children.
Escolas and all six family members were taken to area hospitals, where a 10-year-old boy died from his injuries.
The Nissan was stopped at a traffic light on Route 1 near the intersection of Interstate 495 when the crash occurred, according to investigators.
Investigators said Escolas admitted to drinking whiskey in the parking lot from 1 p.m. to the evening. They said he never went into the concert but walked to another lot and stole a Jeep Grand Cherokee with a key inside.
According to charging documents, the following is an excerpt from a recorded phone call Escolas made to his wife:
Escolas: “Still, still one too many, one too many. Messed up...It’s your car.”
Wife: “Huh, you have the car? I really don’t...”
Escolas: “I’ll find out what I did”
Officials said when they asked Escolas where he was coming from, he said a pizza shop in Millbury. They said it wasn’t until they pointed out a floor seat wristband he was wearing that he said he was at the concert.
“He needs to stay in jail we want him to be held accountable for this,” said the victim’s grandmothers.
Investigators said this is Escolas’ second time being charged with an OUI, although he wasn’t convicted for his first one.
His defense team said he’s lived in Oxford his entire life and has three kids of his own under 20 years old, and he works as a manager at an automotive shop.
Massachusetts State Police troopers who were working at the Chesney concert responded to the scene of the wreck.
“Their child is no longer here to raise him to raise him to watch him to continue growing and be just the beautiful soul that he is,” the victim’s family said.
They did not want to comment further outside of court.
“We are deeply saddened and extend our sincerest condolences to the family who has tragically lost a loved one,” Gillette Stadium spokesperson Stacey James said in a statement. “We are working with the Massachusetts State Police, who are doing the investigation under the jurisdiction of the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, to understand the circumstances surrounding this tragic event.”
Morrissey’s office noted that the deadly collision was followed by crashes involving three other cars. Occupants of those cars did not require ambulance transport.
“Dealing with this chaotic scene and evacuating seven people to area hospitals required the help and participation of many partner agencies,” Morrissey said in a statement. “Plainville police and Massachusetts State Police were assisted by fire and ambulance assets from Plainville, North Attleboro, Wrentham, Foxboro, Mansfield, and Franklin, and personnel from the Wrentham Police Department. I offer my thanks to all who responded, and my sincere condolences to the family who lost their son.”
An investigation remains ongoing.
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