Costa Mesa football alumnus Adam JeyaRajah dies following unusual accident
Former Costa Mesa High football player Adam JeyaRajah died Sunday morning after an accident outside his home in Bend, Ore., his father confirmed Wednesday. He was 21.
Indi JeyaRajah said his son had dropped off a date and exited his vehicle to wave goodbye to her. His car started to roll down an inclined driveway.
“He got behind the car to try to stop it from rolling down the hill,” JeyaRajah said. “He was pinned by the car. The young lady that was there said that there was no blood or physical injuries visible to her. She asked him if she should call 9-1-1, and he said yes. He was still alive. The cops showed up in three minutes, and he had passed. It was a very freak, unusual accident.”
The Bend Police Department confirmed the accident Wednesday.
“It was just a motor vehicle accident with him, and he died on scene,” Bend police officer Camille Christensen said Thursday. “The vehicle had rolled over him. There’s no suspicious circumstances or anything around it.”
Adam JeyaRajah was born in Malaysia on Dec. 29, 1996. He came to the United States when he was less than a year old and moved to Costa Mesa when he was 3.
He played football and volleyball at Costa Mesa High before graduating in 2015. He earned first-team All-Orange Coast League honors as a senior offensive lineman.
“He really poured everything he had into being the best football player he could be,” said Frank Albers, who was the Mustangs’ offensive line coach. “He was a great teammate, great leader.”
Adam JeyaRajah remained close friends with his fellow Mustangs. Indi JeyaRajah said at the time of his death he was living in Oregon with roommates with whom he had played football: Kage Kistler and Oliver Ferris. Adam was attending culinary school.
“He was probably at the best place in his life,” JeyaRajah said.
In addition to his father, Adam JeyaRajah is survived by his mother, Darleen, his older sister, Hannah, and his older brother, Noah.
A celebration of life ceremony is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday at the Westside Church of Bend. A local ceremony will follow at 1 p.m. Feb. 3 at Halecrest Park in Costa Mesa, followed by a reception. For more information, contact Sharon Comer at comerboys2@yahoo.com or (949) 903-0368.
Twitter: @mjszabo
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