He never came home.

About 9:25 p.m., Matthew lost control of the car on a winding two-lane street less than half a mile from his home. He died when the car ran off the road, struck a tree and flipped. He was the first teenager killed in a traffic accident in metro Atlanta this year and died just hours before Gov. Roy Barnes proposed tightening restrictions on teen drivers.

Matthew received his driver's license three months ago. His father, Chris Molen, said Matthew usually drove a Toyota 4Runner. Molen said he bought the 2001 Jaguar XKR, a high-powered luxury car, just a month ago. "[Matthew] loved it and talked me into buying it," Molen said.

Father and son drove the Jaguar once before, but Matthew wasn't satisfied.

"He [asked] all the time and I said no," Molen said. "This was only the second time he had driven the car."

But Molen let his son drive by himself the short trip to a Blockbuster Video to return movies. Molen said he expected his son to be gone a few minutes. After an hour, Matthew still hadn't returned. Molen went out to look for him.

Near the corner of Spalding Drive and Mount Vernon Road, Molen saw emergency vehicles. They surrounded a wrecked car in a wooded area. Authorities would not permit Molen near the crash, he said. But "I could tell it was my car," Molen said.

Hours later, police called to tell him what he already suspected.

Fulton County police Lt. Sue Miller said investigators were looking at excessive speed as the cause of the crash.

No one else was in the car when it crashed, Miller said.

Matthew was a sophomore at Holy Innocents' Episcopal School in Sandy Springs. He had attended the school since he was 3 years old, said Headmaster Susan R. Groesbeck.

Groesbeck said Wednesday the school's students and faculty were devastated by Matthew's death. Chaplains held a gathering at the chapel on campus at the start of school to inform and comfort students.

"He was just a great kid," Groesbeck said.

Groesbeck said Matthew made friends easily and always attended school sporting events. He had just returned home from a Holy Innocents' basketball game before making the trip to the video store.

Molen said his son was on the baseball team and was supposed to make a trip to Orlando with the squad for spring training. He said Matthew loved golf and enjoyed studying Spanish.

"Has school been normal today? No," Groesbeck said. "It won't be normal for weeks."

Molen said visitation will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at Sandy Springs Chapel, 136 Mount Vernon Highway. A funeral will be held 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Luke's Presbyterian Church, 1978 Mount Vernon Highway. In lieu of flowers, the family asks donations be made to Calvary Children's Home.

Matthew is also survived by his mother, Lisa, and a sister, Lauren, who attends Florida State University.