Journalist Michael Hastings Dies in Fiery Car Crash
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (KTLA) — A man killed Tuesday in a fiery car crash in Hollywood was journalist Michael Hastings, his employer said.
The wreck happened near the intersection of Highland and Melrose avenues around 4:15 a.m., according to LAPD Officer Lillian Carranza.
The car, presumably driven by Hastings, slammed into a tree and caught fire.
“I was just coming northbound on Highland and I seen a car, like, going really fast and all of a sudden I seen it jackknife,” said Luis Cortez, who witnessed the wreck.
“I just seen parts fly everywhere and I slammed on my brakes and stopped and tried to call 911,” Cortez added.
The driver was pronounced dead at the scene.
Coroner’s officials said the body was too badly burned to make an immediate identification.
But, Rolling Stone and BuzzFeed both reported Tuesday afternoon the victim was Hastings.
BuzzFeed Editor-in-Chief Ben Smith issued a statement, saying his team was “shocked and devastated by the news.”
“Michael was a great, fearless journalist with an incredible instinct for the story and a gift for finding ways to make his readers care about anything he covered, from wars to politicians,” Smith said. “He wrote stories that would otherwise have gone unwritten, and without him there are great stories that will go untold.”
Hastings was perhaps best known for a Rolling Stone article that led to the resignation of Gen. Stanley McChrystal.