Two teenage boys, one 13 and the other 15, were charged with murder after a young boy purposely rode a stolen car on a bicycle last year and killed him, Albuquerque police said Monday.
The 11-year-old in the vehicle will also be charged with crime, police said in a statement, but he is too young to be charged with murder and his name has not been revealed.
Driver Jonathan Overbay was identified through cell phone video the boys posted on social media, police said. Video recorded from the back seat by one of the boys showed Jonathan accelerated towards cyclist Scott Dwight Harbormel, 63, police said. Mr. Harbormel was on his way to work at Sandia National Laboratory when he was fatally injured around 4:40am on May 29, 2024.
15-year-old William Garcia sat in the back seat and told Jonathan to slow down and “just smash him,” the video shows. The 11-year-old, sitting in the passenger seat as they drove, flashed a camera handgun and dived as he approached Mr. Harbormel.
Videos shared by the Albuquerque Police Department do not show the moment the vehicle crashed into Harbormail, but the department said in a news release that there was “a loud noise that includes metal flexion.” Mr. Habermel was thrown over the vehicle and fell from behind.
Jonathan was arrested Monday, and police said they were still looking for William and 11 years old.
Jonathan and William are faced with suspicion of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, the scene of an accident with major bodily harm or death, and illegal possession of a handgun by a person.
The Bernarillo County District Attorney's Office did not comment on the charges or make it clear whether the juvenile will be brought to trial as an adult.
Maggie Shepherd, communications director for public defense attorneys for New Mexico law, said it's too early for the office to provide comments.
Detectives initially didn't know who was in the car after attacking Harbormail in May. In February, police received anonymous tips, including an Instagram account that posted the crash video. Around the same time, the middle school principal reported the video to police after the student flagged the post.
Investigators searched Jonathan and the 11-year-old's cell phone and found footage of crashing, police said. They said the mobile phone was seized in June 2024 during another investigation. Police did not reveal the nature of the other investigations.
Kirsten Neus Contributed research.
