Dwyer High student was riding in stolen vehicle before his death, Jupiter police say
JUPITER — A 17-year-old William T. Dwyer High School student found dead in Jupiter early Monday was riding in a stolen vehicle in the hours before his death, Jupiter police said Tuesday.
Investigators said Tiger Campbell-Rollins was one of three people who abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot early Sunday near Donald Ross Road and Alternate State Road A1A. Campbell-Rollins' body was found in a unspecified body of water north of that area after his family reported him missing Sunday night, according to Jupiter police statement.
The statement from Jupiter police does not identify the other two occupants, or say who was driving the vehicle.
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Police said the situation began at about 3 a.m. Sunday when the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office contacted Jupiter police about burglaries that were happening at the Jupiter Isle apartment complex, off Jupiter Park Drive just west of Central Boulevard.
The Jupiter officers then noticed an unspecified vehicle in the area near the apartment complex. The officers observed the vehicle from a distance as it traveled into Palm Beach Gardens and then back to Jupiter.
They attempted to disable the vehicle using a tire-deflation device but were unsuccessful. The officers did not pursue the vehicle, the police statement said. The vehicle was found abandoned a short time later near Alternate A1A and Donald Ross with three of its doors left open.
Police confirmed that the vehicle's owner reported it stolen from Jupiter Isle. Officers searched the surrounding area for about two and one-half hours, but were unable to find anyone connected to the reported theft.
Campbell-Rollins' family contacted the Jupiter Police Department at about 10 p.m. Sunday to report him missing. According to the statement, officers also learned that Campbell-Rollins was among those who fled the stolen vehicle and had not been seen since.
Jupiter police then searched the area with units that included the police department's dive team, K-9 unit and drone team, as well as assistance from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit.
Campbell-Rollins was a junior at Dwyer, where he competed for the school's football and track teams.
Tiger Campbell-Rollins was a lively young man," Dwyer coach McKinley Rolle said in a telephone interview Monday with The Palm Beach Post. "He had a bursting personality, always had a smile on his face, always walked with this little bop to him. He had such a little pep in his step.
"A confident young man – loved football. He competed hard. He was small in stature, but he had a huge heart.”
Staff writer Emilee Smarr contributed to this story.
jwhigham@pbpost.com
@JuliusWhigham
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dwyer student Tiger Campbell-Rollins rode in stolen vehicle before death
