Michael Vanwagner: Suspected Drunk Driver Kills Teen, Then Posts Picture Of His Totaled Car With A Smiley Face

Michael Vanwagner is accused of driving drunk and killing a 16-year-old boy, but the 24-year-old apparently finds quite a bit of humor in the situation.

Police said Vanwagner was drunk and drove without a valid license when he crashed his car on a highway near Minneapolis. Vanwagner then fled the scene, and moments later ran into a car driven by 16-year-old Jason McCarthy.

McCarthy suffered severe injuries, and after days in the hospital, he died. McCarthy’s family posted a message that read: “The injuries to Jason during the impact of the accident were too much for him to survive. Jason is currently on life support so family can get here and say goodbye.”

But while friends and loved ones were saying their final goodbyes to Jason, Michael Vanwagner was taking a picture of his own totaled car and joking about it on Facebook. Just hours before McCarthy died, Vanwagner posted the picture along with the caption,”That’s her front end after I got done with her lol.” At the end of the message, Vanwagner included a smiley face.

Michael Vanwagner went on to make light of the accident, commenting: “I’m all good slept a day in the hospital then came home and did yard work lol.”

The photos would later be taken down, and Vanwagner would later say in an interview that he didn’t know about the injured boy.

“I didn’t even know I hit somebody. I just thought I hit something,” he said.

Jason McCarthy was remembered as a bright student who loved music and playing bass guitar in his high school band and in a garage band with friends called Crak Pots.

“He loved trying everything and had a very adventurous spirit and a wonderful sense of humor,” his aunt Brigid Klaysmat said.

Police say Michael Vanwagner was not even supposed to be driving on the night in question. He had his licensed revoked for driving without insurance and has a host of traffic violations including careless driving.

With his Facebook messages deleted, Michael Vanwagner is now acknowledging the severity of the situation. He admitted in an interview that he is “looking at prison time” and is now trying to spend as much time as he can with his 18-month-old child.