Brazilian influencer “Jesse Kozechen” dies in car accident along with beloved dog
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Instagram/jessekoz
Jesse Kozechen and his beloved Golden Retriever Shurastey died tragically.
The 29-year-old Brazilian influencer “Jesse Kozechen” and his dog were on their five-year journey from Brazil to Alaska when they were killed in a car accident just days before they arrived.
Kozechen died on Highway 199 outside Salem, Oregon, on Monday at 10:30 a.m. He was driving a Volkswagen Beetle and attempted to pass a line of cars that had slowed due to the impending disruption. However, he entered oncoming traffic and was killed when he collided with another vehicle.
Shurastey, Kozechen’s dog, died as well, according to Oregon State Police. Eileen Huss, the other vehicle’s driver, was injured and taken to a nearby hospital. A 2-year-old was also inside the car but was unharmed. The highway was closed for more than two hours as a result of the accident.
The other vehicle’s driver was injured and was taken to a nearby hospital.
“There is no happiness without freedom … I came out of a prison that was my old life where others made the decisions for me so I could have the freedom to choose what I wanted!” ~ Jesse Kozechen ~ Killed Monday after traveling 17,000 miles. #freedom #JesseKoz #happiness pic.twitter.com/vhXnThwlQZ
— KrisinMontana🌻 (@KrisinMontana) May 26, 2022
Who was Jesse Kozechen?
Jesse Kozechen has driven his pet through 52,000 miles and 17 countries since the beginning of his journey in 2017. The journey was supposed to end in Alaska, but it was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. They were also unable to drive across the US-Mexico border due to cross-border restrictions.
Jesse has been documenting his and Shurastey’s journey driving in their Beetle from Brazil to Alaska on Instagram since September 2017.
Jesse’s final post was from the weekend when he took to Shurastey’s Instagram account to reveal that they were camping in Oregon before getting back on the road to cross into Canada before arriving in Alaska.
Kozechen used to post photos from his expedition to Instagram. Shurastey or Shuraigow? was created on Instagram to document their road trip. It’s a play on his dog’s name and The Clash’s song Should I Stay or Should I Go.
Shurastey’s most recent post, four days ago, shows the pup standing near the Beetle, which had been converted into a tent. Kozechen sat in a lawn chair just outside the passenger door. According to Google Translate, he stated in the caption that it was one of the last campsites in the United States before heading to Canada and “finally” Alaska.
More information about Jesse’s early life, career, educational background, and personal life is still unknown.
Ankita Khanrah
Ankita Khanrah is a second-year student of the Master of Communication and Journalism (Integrated) programme at the School of Mass Communication, KIIT Deemed University, Bhubaneswar.
