Summary:
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Outrage grows over influencer Tea_Tyme_3 seeking donations post-fatal crash of pedestrian Darren Lucas, 59 in Illinois.
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TikTok livestreamer from Zion faces backlash for asking for funds after hitting and killing pedestrian during broadcast.
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Clip of livestream spread quickly, sparking social media outrage; police investigating incident without charges filed at this time.
Outrage grows after the influencer behind the account “Tea_Tyme_3” reportedly requested CashApp donations days after the fatal crash of Darren Lucas, 59.
A TikTok livestreamer from Zion, Illinois, is facing widespread backlash after allegedly striking and killing a pedestrian while broadcasting live — then asking followers for money to fund her “mental leave.”
According to The Guardian’s Ramon Antonio Vargas, the crash occurred in the Chicago suburb of Zion, where 59-year-old Darren Lucas of nearby Beach Park was hit by a driver identified by police as a 43-year-old woman from Zion. Lucas later died at a local hospital from blunt-force injuries.
A screen recording of the livestream shows the TikTok user “Tea_Tyme_3” reacting moments after a loud thud is heard: “Fk, fk, f**k … I just hit somebody.” The stream quickly cut off as a child in the car asked what happened. The Root first reported that the driver had been livestreaming while driving — a violation of TikTok’s safety policies. Users can, however, reportedly bypass the restriction by using the platform’s green screen feature.
@live.catch.up Tea Tyme came back to TikTok 11/06, three days after the accident and went live for 3 hours and 46 minutes. This was before we shared the clip of her.#TeaTyme #teatime ♬ original sound – Live Catch Ups
Days later, the same account appeared on TikTok, asking a restricted audience for donations to support her “mental leave.”
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“You know I don’t like asking y’all for s***, but if y’all … find it in y’all’s heart and y’all wanna support, my CashApp [account] is right there,” she said in the recording. “If y’all wanna pour something in, y’all are more than welcome to do that.”
The clip spread rapidly once it was shared publicly, sparking outrage across social media.
The Zion Police Department confirmed to The Guardian that drugs and alcohol were not suspected in the crash and that no charges have been filed “at this time.” Lieutenant Paul Kehrli said investigators believe the livestream video is “relevant” to the ongoing investigation but declined to elaborate further.
Online profiles linked to “Tea Tyme,” whose real name appears to be Tynesha McCarty, list her as a musician and founder of Divine Oak Publishing, a Zion-based company that Illinois state records show was dissolved in 2022. The Guardian reported that attempts to reach McCarty were unsuccessful.
On November 6, the TikTok account posted a video in which the user described not having her “mind … in full capacity,” before teasing “a new album series coming out.”
Lucas’s family has asked for privacy as the investigation continues. His son-in-law, Chris King, told The Guardian, “We will wait for the investigation to conclude and all facts have been determined.”
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