A teenage girl who was killed when an allegedly stolen car she was travelling in ploughed into a Mercedes SUV lost a friend in identical circumstances almost two years ago.
Lara Guglielmi, 19, was travelling in a white Kia Cerato along Mahoneys Road in the north Melbourne suburb of Thomastown about 1.10am on Sunday when it collided with the Mercedes.
The Cerato’s driver allegedly fled the scene leaving Ms Guglielmi to die and his other female passenger, 21, seriously injured.
Now, Daily Mail Australia can reveal Ms Guglielmi’s death comes 20 months after her friend William ‘Bill’ Hexter, 15, was killed instantly in a car crash in Burwood, in the city’s south.
Like Ms Guglielmi, Mr Hexter was a passenger in an allegedly stolen vehicle when it smashed into two power poles on Burwood Road during the early hours of July 21, 2021.
Lara Guglielmi, 19, (pictured) was tragically killed in a car crash in Melbourne’s north during the early hours of Sunday
Pictured: The force of the collision propelled the white Kia Cerato off the road and into nearby bush
The badly-damaged Mercedes SUV sat sideways in the middle of Mahoneys Road on Sunday as emergency services worked to clear the scene
Mr Hexter’s friend Lachlan Thorpe-Smith, who had been driving the car, fled the scene before handing himself over to police several days later.
The death had a profound impact on Mr Hexter and Ms Guglielmi’s circle of friends, who continue to frequently share posts online commemorating his memory.
In December, Thorpe-Smith pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death, failing to render assistance after a motor vehicle accident in which a person was killed, and the theft of a car – as well as a string of separate offences.
He was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison with a non-parole period of four years, with time served meaning he could be released as early as late 2025.
Now, Ms Guglielmi’s devastated family are pleading with the driver of the Cerato to hand himself in to police so they can gain some closure.
They said Ms Guglielmi’ ‘just made a bad choice to get in a car’ and now their family has been ‘ripped apart’.
William ‘Bill’ Hexter (pictured) was just 15 when he was killed in a Burwood car crash in July 2021
The car he was a passenger in smashed into power poles
‘She’s just a beautiful, beautiful kid,’ her stepmother told 9News.
‘She was the most courageous child, she was always happy.
‘Her dad was like a best friend. No parent should ever have to bury their child.’
Footage taken at the scene showed the Mercedes sideways in the middle of the street surrounded by debris while the crumpled Kia sat metres away in a stretch of bushland.
Police believe the Cerato was speeding down the road when it slammed into the SUV as it turned onto the street.
The 21-year-old woman was taken to Alfred Hospital in a serious but stable condition, while a man and a woman, both in their 30s, from the Mercedes were taken to Royal Melbourne Hospital.
The man is being treated for upper body injuries while the woman suffered lower body injuries, including cuts and abrasions on her legs. Both are in stable conditions.
Ms Guglielmi has been remembered as a ‘beautiful soul’
Detectives are still working to hunt down the driver and have seized several items, including a baseball cap and mobile phones, that were found inside the Kia.
Meanwhile, tributes have flowed online for Ms Guglielmi as loved ones come to terms with the teenager’s tragic death, remembering her as a ‘beautiful soul’.
‘I seriously can’t believe she’s gone I’m shattered,’ one friend wrote.
‘Such a beautiful human being, funniest person I knew!’ another said.
‘Rest in peace Lara. You will be sadly missed.’
Anyone who witnessed the collision, with information or dashcam vision is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
