Just days before homecoming weekend, Morehouse College is mourning the death of a student killed in a crash.
Jayden Mango, a junior from Pelham studying cinema, television and emerging media studies, died early Thursday morning, the college said in a statement. The 20-year-old was killed in a single-car crash in Atlanta, according to the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Atlanta police said the crash took place around 2 a.m. at the interchange between I-20 and the Downtown Connector. Mango was ejected from a Hyundai Sonata and pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
“Jayden was a vibrant member of our campus community, known for his creativity, kindness and dedication to his studies,” college leaders said. His “presence enriched the lives of everyone around him.”
According to an incident report, Mango was a passenger in the car as it traveled east on I-20 toward the Downtown Connector. The driver tried to take the exit and lost control as the car crossed through the gore area at the interchange with I-75/85. The Sonata hit a guard rail and a light pole, then rolled several times before falling onto the Windsor Street exit ramp, where it landed upside down.
A total of five people were in the car. The driver and three other passengers were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Mango was remembered for his generous spirit and his passion for storytelling.
“On behalf of the Morehouse community, we extend our most heartfelt condolences to Jayden’s family, friends, classmates and professors,” college administrators said. “The passing of such a bright, promising young man is deeply felt across our entire community. We ask that you keep his loved ones in your thoughts and prayers as they navigate this profound loss.”
Before coming to Morehouse, Mango was a standout student from a small town in southwest Georgia. He graduated from Pelham High School with honors and earned a college scholarship.
Sara Wingate, Pelham’s principal, said she along with the teachers at Pelham were shocked and heartbroken to learn of Mango’s death.
“He always had the biggest smile, and he’d just light up a room,” she said. “You don’t have a building full of kids like him. There’s a select, special few.”
Susan Prince, a former teacher at Pelham, called Mango “the dream student.”
“He was so bright and creative and came up with all these great ideas,” Prince, who taught his audio and video class, said. “I want to go back and pull up all his videos he made.”
Mango had a love for making videos, from short commercials that he made for class to writing, directing and starring in a video for the school’s yearbook dedication ceremony, she said.
Prince, who also worked closely with Mango on the yearbook staff, emotionally recalled when Mango brought her a stuffed animal to cheer her up during a stressful time.
“We had a lot of deadlines for the yearbook and he knew when I was stressed out because it all comes down to the adviser at the end,” said Prince, the yearbook faculty adviser. “He brought me this cute little stuffed animal and it was just the sweetest thing. He was just so thoughtful and kind and genuine.”
Prince added that he was a natural leader, elected class president by his peers and voted “Mr. PHS” by his teachers, a title given to a student who exemplifies all-around excellence in community service, leadership and positive impact on the school community.
“He was the guiding force of the school,” she said. “Everybody admired him. All the students really liked him. Teachers loved him.”
In May 2022, Pelham High shared a photo on Facebook of Mango and a teacher to whom he gave a “golden apple” award, a recognition that honors students give to the teacher who influenced them the most. Mango and the teacher are shown with beaming smiles.
The same month, Georgia’s Own Credit Union announced that Mango would receive its Jump Start scholarship, WALB News 10 reported. The $1,000 scholarship was awarded to students who succeeded academically, showed commitment to their community and demonstrated good financial habits. Mango was one of 20 South Georgia students to receive the scholarship and the only winner from his high school.
The Morehouse statement said counseling services are available to students and staff who need support.
Mango’s death comes just as the campus is gearing up for one of the biggest weekends on the calendar: Homecoming, which will be Saturday. It is also just over a year after a crash took the lives of two students, roommates Hugh Douglas and Christion Files Jr.
Authorities said the sophomore business administration students were driving on Church Street in East Point on Sept. 4, 2023, when their vehicle left the road, hit two power poles and overturned. Both died at the scene.
“It’s just hard to believe he’s gone,” Wingate said of Mango. “Way too soon.”
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