WOHS grad dies in hit-and-run

CLERMONT  Aaron Zacharias’s mother, Neena, said he was an avid fan of “The Fast & the Furious” movie franchise, “Forza Motorsports” video games and cars in general.

In a tragic turn of events reported by Florida Highway Patrol officials, it was a car that struck and killed Aaron, a 26-year-old West Orange High alumnus, at about 11:30 p.m. Dec. 6 on Lakeshore Drive at Preston Cove Road in Clermont, where he was crossing the street outside the crosswalk.

FHP personnel are still searching for that driver, who did not stop after the crash. Small black pieces of a putty used in car work were at the scene, so the car might have undergone recent body work.

Aaron had been training to become a mixed martial arts fighter while living with Neena in Clermont, she said.

“He was really trying to work on that and basically into his own little fitness thing,” she said.

The Zachariases had lived in Winter Garden since 1999 or 2000 before more recently moving to Clermont, Neena said.

While in high school, Aaron enjoyed being in a car club with his friends, who recently organized a car meet in his honor. After he graduated in 2007, he had sought a business degree at Everest but did not complete the program, Neena said.

His other favorite video game series was “Call of Duty,” and he particularly enjoyed martial arts movies, she said.

“He liked all the karate movies, ‘The Matrix,’ he was into all the ‘Fast & Furious,’ all the Batman and Superman movies,” Neena said.

Beyond all else, Aaron was a spiritual soul who loved God above everything, she said.

“He knew that Bible inside and out, and he really had a love for God and a love for life and a love for everybody,” Neena said. “He loved everybody.”

Contact Zak Kerr at [email protected].