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Jada "Jay" Marie Upshaw was killed in a chain-reaction crash on I-91 in Rocky Hill in Hartford County around 8:45 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4, Connecticut Police said.
Jay leaves behind a young daughter, and, according to a Facebook post she made last month, the Bloomfield native was pregnant with her second child — a baby boy due in March.
In her obituary, her friends and family members said she was a great mom with big dreams. She worked as a customer service representative at Waste Management and hoped to become a cyber security agent someday.
Jada was a devoted mother, daughter, and dear friend. She was a very soft-spoken person but a confidant and mentor to many. Jada will forever be remembered by those who knew and loved her for her beautiful smile, wonderful sense of humor, and her love for others. Jada enjoyed traveling, dancing, shopping and attending church. The passing of Jada will leave a permanent ache in the hearts of all who knew and loved her.
Jacob Daniel Texidor, 23, of New Britain, is accused of crashing his BMW into Upshaw's Nissan, which sent her car into another vehicle, police said. The Nissan tumbled down the interstate and came to rest on its roof. A child's stroller and other items were strewn across the highway.
Paramedics took Upshaw to Hartford Hospital, where she died. A passenger in her car and the driver of the third vehicle suffered minor injuries in the crash.
Authorities charged Texidor with driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, police said, but more charges are likely forthcoming. He was being held on a $50,000 bond.
Many of her loved ones posted memorials for her online describing her death as losing a star in the night sky. Among those posts were demands for justice.
"This should NOT have happened," Jendayi Scott-Miller posted on Facebook. "We are devastated by the loss of 26-year-old Jada Upshaw, whose life was senselessly taken this past weekend by the reckless actions of a driver who treated our streets like a game. What’s even more infuriating is that the person responsible, with a prior record, walked away with no ankle monitoring and only a $50,000 bond. How is this justice?
"Our legislators MUST do more. Connecticut needs harsher punishments and stronger enforcement to put an end to the chaos on our roads."
A memorial for Jada Marie Upshaw is set for Monday, Oct. 14, at 11 a.m. with the funeral to follow at The First Cathedral at 1151 Blue Hills Ave B at noon.
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