Late Monday night, the quiet streets of Brunswick were shattered when 23-year-old Silas Octavi Esquivel Perez was struck by a vehicle while riding his bicycle on Old Bath Road near the Route 1 overpass. Emergency crews were called to the scene around 11:30 p.m., but despite their efforts, Perez was pronounced dead at the site.
Police quickly determined the driver — later identified as 41-year-old Lance Lucas-Wallace of Brunswick — fled immediately after the crash. He eventually returned to the scene, where law enforcement took him into custody. Authorities say Lucas-Wallace was intoxicated at the time of the collision. He now faces charges including manslaughter, aggravated leaving the scene of a personal injury accident, and operating under the influence resulting in death.
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Lucus-Wallace was booked into the Cumberland County Jail, with bail set at $100,000 in cash. While the basic facts are clear, investigators emphasize the full picture is still unfolding — they are reviewing witness statements, nearby surveillance footage, and forensic evidence to reconstruct what led to this tragic collision.
In Brunswick, this loss has hit especially hard. Friends, family, neighbors, and classmates remember Silas as a warm, energetic soul whose presence brightened lives. His sudden death has left an ache in the community — one too common, too needless. Among their pain is also urgency: appeals for anyone with information to come forward and help speak for the life that’s gone.
Law enforcement has underscored a harsh warning: impaired driving doesn’t just risk lives — it can permanently alter the legal and moral trajectory of everyone involved. And fleeing a scene only compounds the damage. In this case, the decisions made in the moments after the crash may now carry tremendous weight.
As the criminal case proceeds, authorities say updates will be forthcoming. But already, this tragedy underscores something obvious yet too often ignored: roads don’t belong just to cars. Cyclists, pedestrians — every life deserves vigilance, respect, and care behind the wheel.
In the days ahead, as Brunswick mourns Silas Perez, the hope is that this loss spurs not just sorrow but change — a renewed commitment to shared safety, responsibility, and remembering that every crossing, every ride, and every decision matters.
