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Teen lost control of car, police say
High speed wreck: Youth death toll rises on metro roads as alleged drag race turns fatal.
Rick Badie - Staff
Monday, September 25, 2000

Jerrod Michael Norman recently had installed a new intake valve on his Camaro. The Marietta teenager liked to drive fast, friends say, and the valve gave his black Chevy more power.

Perhaps too much for the 16-year-old to handle. Cobb police say Jerrod lost control of the car Saturday night while drag racing a Ford Mustang on Chastain Road in Kennesaw.

He veered off the road and struck a brick wall surrounding a sign in front of the Community Bible Church. Jerrod and his passenger, John Stephen Bickelhaup of Roswell, also 16, died instantly.

The driver of the yellow Mustang left the scene of the 7:52 p.m. accident, and as of Sunday had not been located. Police are investigating the accident, while friends and relatives grieve for two popular Lassiter High juniors.

Both boys held part-time jobs. John worked at a Planet Smoothie located inside an Exxon store on Shallowford Road. Known as "Puff" by friends, he played tennis for Lassiter and was a freshman when the team won the Georgia High School Association Class AAAA championship.

"He was a good volleyer and server," recalled Parker Kirby, a 17-year-old teammate and co-worker at Planet Smoothie. "Sort of like Patrick Rafter," one of the premiere tennis players.

After working the noon to 5 p.m. shift, John hooked up with Jerrod, who didn't work Saturday, but stopped by the nearby Ace Hardware store during the day to check his schedule. He was supposed to work Sunday. His mother called assistant store manager Mark Pressley that morning to relay the shocking news.

"He was a conscientious, respectful, kind young man," he said. "I hope they catch that other car. Anybody who leaves an accident like that is less than a human being. We send our prayers to both families."

Friends say the boys were headed to the Happy China restaurant in Kennesaw to see Allen Chen, a friend who worked there. The pair was to grab a bite to eat, friends said, but beyond that they had no plans for the night.

Jerrod, nicknamed "Cyborg" because he lifted weights, was a good student who loved his Camaro. And although friends say he liked to drive fast, they don't want to believe a race was on when the boys crashed.

"I know Jerrod wouldn't drag race," said Melissa Jones, who gathered with friends Sunday at the scene of the accident. "It just kind of scares me. I mean, we all go to the car shows and see the cars. It's so much fun."

Jason Accurso, John's co-worker at Planet Smoothie, wouldn't even entertain the thought of a drag race.

"I don't want to discuss that," the 17-year-old Lassiter High junior said Sunday during a break serving customers. "We'd rather reflect on John, the kind of person he was --- a very funny person who can make you laugh at any time."

But witnesses --- among them neighbors in the nearby Chastain Lakes subdivision and other drivers --- said the Camaro and Mustang were racing westbound on Chastain when the accident took place, Cobb County Police spokesman Brody Staud said Sunday.

Staud said the police don't know whether they will find the Mustang driver. They don't have a license plate number or any information on the driver, he said. "Unless that person comes forward," Staud said, "it's going to be very hard to find those people."

Drag racing has been a problem in some areas of Cobb County, notably Barrett Parkway.

In July, the police stepped up their presence on the commercial strip, where gearheads gathered to admire each other's souped-up engines and put them to the test in drag races.

Staud said at least 100 citations were issued during the July sweep.

But, he said, it takes a tragedy like this to drive the point home that drag racing is dangerous.

"The roadway is not where you need to be seeing how fast your car can go," Staud said "These tragic situations will happen."

Ron McHann, who lives in Chastain Lakes, said he heard the squeal of tires, then the impact of the crash Saturday night. He called 911 as he ran to the scene.

"It was just a loud crunch," McHann said. "I ran out 'cause I knew it was bad. It was just a little fire inside the hood. There weren't any sounds or anything."

McHann, who has lived in the neighborhood since 1996, said speeding by adults and teenagers is common on Chastain Road.

But the artery isn't known for drag racers because of the heavy volume of traffic.

On Sunday, friends Andrew Toon, John O'Grady, Chen and Jones hugged each other and cried as they trekked slowly across the grass to view the damaged church sign.

Carnations and mums left by mourners stood amid tumbled bricks, shattered glass. The car left indentations in the red clay.

Staff writers Erin Behan, Yolanda Rodriguez, Add Seymour Jr. and Dana Tofig contributed to this article.