Martin Maese, II, was a graduate of Live Oak High School, a
longtime athlete who participated in numerous sports, a loyal
brother, a loving son and an entertaining friend, according to
those who knew him. Maese, 21, died unexpectedly in a traffic
accident Tuesday when his 1994 Ford Mustang collided with a 1968
flat-bed Chevrolet produce truck.
Martin Maese, II, was a graduate of Live Oak High School, a longtime athlete who participated in numerous sports, a loyal brother, a loving son and an entertaining friend, according to those who knew him. Maese, 21, died unexpectedly in a traffic accident Tuesday when his 1994 Ford Mustang collided with a 1968 flat-bed Chevrolet produce truck. The accident happened about 10:23 a.m., at the intersection of East Middle and Columbet avenues southeast of Morgan Hill.
Later that night, at least 50 of Maese’s friends and relatives gathered at the crash site to place flowers in his memory.
The next day a stream of shaken visitors to Maese’s home in west Morgan Hill, where he lived with his mother and two younger brothers, tried to comfort each other.
Almost everyone who knew Maese called him Mark – his middle name. And some who knew him closely, knew him as “Mustang Mark,” reflecting his obsession with his car, and two older models he owned previously.
Sharing stories and memories about Maese, his parents recalled his pleasant personality, his desire to help people and the love and patience he had for his brothers.
His mother Susan Maese, 46, said Mark never caused her trouble, and he was good at encouraging people to be their best and to do the right thing.
“I feel like I had this wonderful kid, and I was going to see his wonderful future, and now I’m not,” said Susan Maese, struggling to hold back tearful sobs.
Mark’s father, Martin Maese, 45, added that his son didn’t hide the love he had for his family and friends, and he was wiser than his years.
“He always wanted to see our family do well,” said his father. “He was more than a son – he was a friend, and sometimes a counselor. He was very respectful and well-liked.”
His brother Joshua, 13, said Maese was “inspirational.”
“He was always encouraging me to play sports and do good in school,” Joshua Maese said.
Susan Maese said Mark was still sleeping when she went to work Tuesday morning.
When he woke up, he and one of his best friends, Luis Molanprez, took Maese’s Mustang to meet another friend, eat lunch and then go to Hayward to get work done on the car.
Maese and Molanprez never made it to meet their friend.
Witnesses said the Mustang was traveling at least 80 mph on Columbet Avenue and ran a stop sign when it hit the truck in the middle of the intersection with East Middle Avenue, according to California Highway Patrol officer Jaime Rios.
The car, which was traveling south, rolled several times before coming to rest as a heap of twisted metal about 40 feet off the side of Columbet Avenue. Broken parts and debris from the vehicle were scattered all over the roadway.
Molanprez, 20, who was in the passenger’s seat, said as soon as he realized they were going to hit the truck he closed his eyes and didn’t open them until the car stopped moving. He looked at Maese, who was gasping for breath, and held his hand. Then his friend stopped breathing.
“After that I didn’t want to look (at him) anymore,” Molanprez said. Maese was pronounced dead at the scene, Rios said.
Molanprez was flown to San Jose Regional Hospital with a complaint of injuries. On Wednesday, he had cuts and scrapes on his face and legs and other minor injuries.
Also injured was the driver of the produce truck, which spilled a full load of peppers onto East Middle Avenue. Chester Togliatti, 44, of Morgan Hill, was taken to Saint Louise Regional Hospital with minor injuries, Rios said.
The accident was called in by a Santa Clara County Sheriff’s deputy, who was near the intersection driving a patrol car when it happened. Sheriff Sgt. Rick Sung said the deputy was not attempting to pull over the Mustang or the truck, and was not involved in the crash.
Molanprez said he remembered seeing a deputy’s car before crashing, but it did not have sirens on. He said Maese was not trying to run from police.
Molanprez didn’t know why Maese was speeding, and said he told him to stop when they approached East Middle Avenue.
The cause of the accident is under investigation, Rios said.
The car was almost unrecognizable following the accident. His dad said Mark owned two Mustangs before that one, and he was a member of the Infamous Mustang Club. The first project he worked on with his grandfather was restoring a 1967 Mustang, Martin Maese said.
He combined his passion for cars with his helpful nature by working on his friends’ vehicles and teaching them how to make repairs.
“That kid and his car,” said his friend Nick Wade, who first met Maese at 24 Hour Fitness. “He will definitely be missed.”
Maese’s brother Nathaniel, 19, made a memorial in the family’s backyard out of a cross, some old photos, a religious painting, and some of Mark’s belongings including his old football jersey and helmet, an engine hose, snowboarding goggles, his license plate and a new tire that he hadn’t had a chance to put on his car before he died.
Nathaniel, who worked at Educational Data Systems in Morgan Hill with his brother, recalled his brother’s intellect and strong work ethic.
Maese graduated in 2007 from Live Oak, where he was a linebacker on the football team. He grew up playing football, baseball and basketball. He played drums in the Britton Middle School band. More recently, he became an avid snowboarder. He and his brothers skated together, and he enjoyed wakeboarding, cruising the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, and going to parties.
His father added that Mark “learned to respect God” as he grew up in Victory Outreach Church.
He attended Gavilan College where he studied business for two years, and was planning to go back soon.
Maese and Molanprez had recently been discussing plans to start a business buying and selling cars, Molanprez said.
Maese’s friends and brothers laughed as they recounted his amusing quirks that gave him a unique personality.
Like how he tried to learn to speak Spanish by using a translator application on his mobile phone. His classic response to a surprising incident or comment was, “What the heck!”
He was easy-going, but one of the few things that annoyed him was when Nathaniel borrowed his clothes without asking.
That’s one reason why Nathaniel was still wearing a silver chain necklace and a San Jose Sharks baseball cap Wednesday that his brother let him borrow a couple days before the accident.
