O.C. High School Football Star Killed in Freeway Crash

A record-setting football star at Newport Harbor High School was killed early Sunday morning when his car crashed into a guardrail on a Riverside County freeway.

Andre Stewart, 18, was driving a 1999 Nissan Altima east on the Pomona Freeway at 3:30 a.m. Sunday when he lost control and went into the guardrail, California Highway Patrol officials said. His half-brother Lamar, a freshman at Newport Harbor, was a passenger in the car but received only minor injuries, officials said.

Instead of celebrating Mother’s Day, Stewart’s classmates and their parents spent part of the day on the high school football field, putting together a memorial to their friend. They also held prayer sessions and swapped memories of the star running back, a senior at the school.

“For the boys to keep talking is really important,” said Meredith Jones, whose son Blair was on The Times All-Orange County team along with Stewart. “They are sharing memories and reliving football memories. It’s a way of mourning,”

CHP spokesman Dennis J. Welch said alcohol did not appear to be a factor in the accident. Stewart may have fallen asleep at the wheel. But Welch said an investigation is continuing.

Last season, Stewart was named California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section Division VI Offensive Player of the Year and the Newport-Mesa Unified School District’s Most Valuable Player after playing a key role in the Sailors’ 1999 CIF Championship victory. He rushed for a school single-season record of 2,380 yards and scored 26 touchdowns.

The awards were hard-won for Stewart, Vice Principal Lee Gaeta said. His mother, Sonja William, struggled to get him into a good school district and keep him away from drugs and violence in south San Jose, where he had lived most of his life.

Stewart remained in San Jose after his mother moved to Orange County. Four years ago, after she got an office job, she brought Andre to live with her, Gaeta said.

They lived in Costa Mesa. Stewart was widely liked, Coach Jeff Brinkley said.

Counselors and psychologists will be available for students today in the school library.