NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Nashville athletic community is mourning the loss of 20-year-old Tennessee State University (TSU) football player Chazan Page, who died following a hit-and-run crash on Gallatin Pike.
According to the Metro Nashville Police Department, Page was crossing Gallatin Pike near Marion Avenue around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, April 14 when he was struck by a red sedan or a small SUV.
TSU said the college senior was a Nashville native who attended Lipscomb Academy before serving as an offensive lineman for the TSU Tigers, which allowed him to share the field with his brother for four seasons.
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Martial arts instructor Chris White, who has known Page since he was in elementary school, told News 2 that he believed Page was destined for the NFL.
“When I first heard it happened, I didn’t want to believe it. I just wanted to believe it was a bad dream maybe,” said White, owner of Chris White’s Extreme Martial Arts. “I just remember how kindhearted he was, how well-mannered he was…When you see a kid, you can look at one and say, ‘This one’s it, he’s going to be someone some day,’ and that was the one. Chazan was the one.”
Inglewood neighbors recalled hearing the sound of cars peeling around corners and rushing down Gallatin Pike early Sunday morning. According to some, speeding in the area is an ongoing concern.
“I hear it trying to go to sleep. I hear people racing 11, 12, 1, it’s all night…We call it Gallatin Beach because of the swish, but it’s just becoming Gallatin Raceway,” neighbor Maria Andruschenko said.
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Andruschenko remembered hearing a loud nighttime gathering on Saturday, April 13 at a neighboring property that lasted into the following morning. She said she isn’t sure what could be done to stop speeding down Gallatin Pike, but she hopes this event will cause drivers to use more caution.
“For this person who is, after a great semester at school — he’s a senior, I learned — just trying to be in community with his friends and then going home for the evening and then losing his life, it’s just heartbreaking,” Andruschenko said.
White urged anyone with information about the Gallatin Pike crash to contact police and help bring Page’s family closure.
“Man, it’s not fair to them, I mean, to lose their child this young, it hurts,” White said. “But I pray for the family; I just tell everybody to pray, lift the family up in prayers, and give them strength during this difficult time.”
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Lipscomb Academy’s head football coach, Jamie Graham, told News 2 that a photo of Page had recently been hung in their training facility. He also shared the following statement:
Chazan was an amazing young man and beautiful soul! The one thing about him that will never leave my brain is his smile. His smile brightened up every room that he stepped foot in. He was just a gentle giant and it hurts to know that he’s not with us anymore. We are praying for the Page family and he will ALWAYS be loved and missed.
According to authorities, the vehicle involved in the hit-and-run was traveling north on Gallatin Pike at a high rate of speed when the crash occurred and has significant front-end damage. If you know anything about this deadly incident, you are asked to call Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
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