Portion of Oklahoma Ave. closed Friday for vigil remembering 3 lives lost due to reckless driving

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A stretch of road in Milwaukee was closed on Friday, June 20, one year after a crash took the lives of three young people in Milwaukee.

This Friday, June 20, from 1:30 to 8 p.m., one eastbound lane of Oklahoma Ave. from S. 49th St. to S. 51st St. is closed for a vigil while the community remembers those who lost their lives due to reckless driving last year.

Surveillance video from June 20, 2024 shows the moment the crash happened around 2:30 a.m., when a car with four people inside was driving at a high speed, lost control, and crashed into two parked cars.

The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office says the 22-year-old driver, Justin Reinke, as well as the passengers, 20-year-old Jason Jankowski and 22-year-old Helena Christensen, died after the crash. Another 22-year-old passenger was treated for their injuries at a hospital.

In attendance were friends, family members, and even a teacher who called herself Justin's "school mom". "I was devastated. I know at first it was in a different way. This was my first student fatality as a teacher," shared Larae Brossman. In her class, she says Justin and his friends were fun and carefree.

"I just think seeing these people come together to see these young people and the families that are still affected by all of this. I hope they just see the love for all of these families," said Brossman.

The focus on Friday was remembering the young lives and thinking of them through mourning. Justin Reinke's mother, Mary Giemza Reinke, said the community's support "means a lot for me. I know they’d be happy. They’d be happy we're doing this for them. It was an accident, an accident’s an accident, they’d be happy, I know they would".

Giemza Reinke had pictures of her son and friends on her fingernails.

She said Justin was a football player and wrestler and is missed by his whole family.

Alderman Peter Burgelis said in a statement, "One year after this terrible accident, we are still working to combat reckless driving across the city. As we continue to work on this issue through the avenues of education, enforcement, and infrastructure at City Hall, we also need people to practice appropriate driving habits. Drive at the posted speed limit. Wear your seatbelt. Obey traffic signs and signals. Reckless driving injuries and deaths are preventable, and your life isn’t worth the risk.”