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Authorities say Brighton teenager died while car-surfing Saturday, charges possible

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ADAMS COUNTY, Colo. – The county coroner’s office on Wednesday identified a 16-year-old boy who died Saturday after he was run over by a pickup truck he had been car-surfing on seconds earlier, Colorado State Patrol said.

The Adams County Coroner’s Office identified the boy as 16-year-old Tyler Daniel Spletzer of Brighton. The chief deputy coroner said the cause and manner of his death remains under investigation.

Colorado State Patrol said Wednesday that the incident happened just before 2 p.m. last Saturday, Oct. 12. A 17-year-old Brighton girl was driving a Dodge Ram eastbound on 144th Ave. near Harvest Road with a 17-year-old boy in the passenger seat, and Spletzer and another 16-year-old boy were riding on the hood of the truck.

CSP says that both of the boys fell off the truck, and that Spletzer was run over. He was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The other teenager suffered minor injuries.

The car-surfing death is the latest in the metro area this year. A teenager died in Commerce City in June and another juvenile died in early August in Aurora after car surfing.

CSP said the latest incident was still under investigation but a spokesperson said they did anticipate charges in the case. The driver has not been identified because she is a juvenile, CSP said.