DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) – In the midst of a devastating tragedy that rocked a South Florida school community, the enduring friendship between two teenage boys who survived a deadly rollover wreck shines like a beacon.
Speaking with 7News on Monday, Leah Finkel, the mother of Aiden Finkel, highlighted the silver lining in the wake of the fiery crash that claimed the lives of two other teens.
“I’m very thankful that they have each other to lean on right now,” she said.
The concerned parent was referring to Tomas Brown, who, she said, has always been like a brother to her son.
The boys, both of them students at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, are members of the school’s wrestling team and do things most 17-year-olds do together, like going to the beach and working out.
And now, Aiden and Tomas are both survivors.
“Physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, they’re going to need a lot of support,” said Leah.
The two friends escaped a horrific multi-vehicle crash that, authorities said, took place along the 200 block of Copans Road, just east of Interstate 95, Friday night.
According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, the boys were both passengers in a 2019 Mercedes-Benz CLA that collided with a 2021 Toyota Sienna.
Investigators said the Mercedes, which was being driven by 16-year-old Jayden Vico, rolled onto its roof and slid across the roadway.
Witness Danny Morillo said he was on his way home from work that night when he saw the crash and tried to help.
“When I was approaching the car, I heard voices. I heard like, you know, people saying, ‘Please, please, oh my God, oh my God,’ so that broke my heart,” he said.
The good Samaritan injured his arm trying to flip the teens’ car.
“We opened those doors, and then we start taking the bodies out from those doors on the top,” he said.
Authorities said Vico and 17-year-old Richie Grable, also students at St. Thomas Aquinas, would not survive.
Paramedics rushed Aiden and Tomas, along with fellow passenger Ryan Bradley, also 17, to Broward Health North.
Aiden, his mother said, suffered fractures to his ribs and collarbone, as well as a brain hemorrhage. Tomas suffered a broken femur and ankle. Both are expected to make a full recovery, but the journey will likely be a long one.
“The devastation is weighing so heavily on everyone — families, friends, the community in and out of St. Thomas,” she said.
Monday morning, the school held a prayer service for the young lives lost and those still hospitalized.
“They were amazing kids, and this is just a horrible thing for everyone involved,” said classmate John Myhre.
“We’ve known Richie since, like, pre-K,” said classmate Matthew McClure. “Like, yeah, it doesn’t feel real, I guess.”
“St. Thomas is the biggest blessing that I could ask for right now, as far as everyone reaching out,” said Leah. “All the prayers have helped so much, and it’s just beyond incomprehensible to have this gravity of losses for us and everybody, and we all share in the tragedy.”
And now two lifelong friends, nearly brothers, will face recovery — and loss — together.
“Our families are very close, so I’m very blessed and lucky that they have each other through all of this,” said Leah.
The driver of the Sienna was not injured and remained at the scene. Authorities said they are looking at speed as a possible contributing factor. A family member said they understand that alcohol played no role in this crash.
Copyright 2025 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.