Toronto police still searching for suspect in intentional hit-and-run that killed 16-year-old boy

Five years after a 16-year-old boy was intentionally struck by a vehicle in East York and left for dead, police say they are still searching for the driver and pleading for the passenger to speak to investigators.

On Oct. 7, 2019, Matthew Dreaver and his 14-year-old friend were in the area of Woodbine Avenue and O’Connor Drive at around 2 a.m. when they had an “interaction” with two men in the rear of a Shoppers Drug Mart.

While the nature of that interaction remains unclear to this day, Det. Sgt. Brandon Price, of the Homicide and Missing Persons Unit, said the two men then got into their SUV and began “chasing” the boys, who fled on foot.

After searching the area for the boys in the vehicle, described as a 2007 to 2012 black or blue Hyundai Santa Fe SUV, Price said the two men found the boys at nearby Stan Wadlow Park. The passenger then got out of the vehicle, while the driver continued to chase after the boys in his SUV, Price said.

According to the investigation, police believe the driver mounted the curb, drove over the sidewalk, onto the grass, and then intentionally struck Dreaver with the SUV.

Video released following the incident at the time showed the two boys running away from the approaching vehicle before Dreaver was hit. His friend is seen stopping to assist Dreaver as he lays on the ground, before the SUV makes a U-turn and drives past the boys.

The teen was rushed to the hospital without vital signs and later pronounced dead in hospital.

Matthew Dreaver, 16, is seen in this undated photograph provided by family.

In an update Friday, Price said investigators have yet to identify the occupants of the SUV, but said he believes the passenger was not in the vehicle at the time of the deadly hit-and-run and did not know of the driver’s intentions.

“I am looking to speak with you as a witness in this event,” Price said at a Friday news conference. “I need you to come forward to speak to us so that we can solve this case, find justice for Matthew, have some closure for Kelly, his mother, and the whole family, including his friends, and, of course, the community at large.”

‘Matthew was taken from us’

Speaking alongside Price, Dreaver’s mother, Kelly Jones, pleaded to the public for information that could lead to an arrest in her son’s murder, saying that the loss has “destroyed her family.”

“How could this happen to my child?” Jones said through tears. “When will Matthew be able to rest peacefully when the person who did this is held responsible? Today, I speak out to anybody who may have information that could help bring Matthew’s family closure.”

Price admitted that police have “exhausted” all of their investigative leads at this point, and said that pending new information, identifying the suspect will prove to be “difficult.”

The suspect vehicle was last seen headed east over the O’Connor Drive Bridge and is believed to have continued to Scarborough. Price said it’s unclear if the SUV’s occupants were residents of Toronto, but highlighted that they were in the area for “quite some time” before the incident.

Matthew Dreaver’s mother, Kelly Jones (left), speaks to reporters at a news conference on Oct. 25, 2024.

Police are still trying to piece together what exactly transpired during the initial interaction between Dreaver, his friend, and the two men. Price said there is nothing to indicate that anything criminal was taking place, and underscored his call to the passenger to come forward.

“To me, at this point, he is a witness. I need to speak with that individual. I know how I would feel in this situation, keeping a secret like that is a very heavy burden,” Price said.

“I don’t have any information that you’re culpable in this. So I want you to come forward as a witness to help clear this up for us.”