Gabriel Salazar, whose lip-sync videos on TikTok gained more than 2 million followers, died early Sunday in a car crash that also killed three other people after a police chase, according to the Zavala County Sheriff’s Office in Texas. He was 19.
A Crystal City police officer reported a “traffic stop” and then advised he was in pursuit of a white Camaro, the sheriff’s office said. A sheriff’s deputy and police officer unsuccessfully tried to stop the fleeing car with a tire-deflation device, the sheriff said.
The car veered off the road, slammed into several trees, rolled over and caught fire, according to the sheriff and a report from People. A sheriff’s office photo shows the wreckage engulfed in flames.
Salazar, known as @gabenotbabe, also appeared in dance and comedy bits on TikTok. He posted his last clip to the short-video platform on Sept. 23 and it has been viewed more than 12 million times.
In an Instagram photo posted not long before the wreck, Salazar posed with a white Camaro.
The other crash victims were identified as Jose Luis Jimenez-Mora, 41; Jose Molina-Lara, 23; and Sergio Espinoza-Flores, 36.
The sheriff’s statement didn’t say why the officer stopped Salazar’s car, or why it was “pursued.” The state Department of Public Safety is investigating.