Victim’s parents join outcry in fatal crash involving famous writer’s son

ISTANBUL

The mother and father of the man who died in an accident have joined the outcry that mounted after the images of the suspect and his mother, a renowned writer, who fled to the U.S., were released, stirring a new round of reactions and calls.

The incident that claimed the life of Oğuz Murat Aci and left four others hospitalized in Istanbul on March 1 involved a group of five friends traveling on ATV-type vehicles when a luxury jeep driven by 17-year-old Timur Cihantimur slammed into them.

The young driver and his mother, Eylem Tok, fled the country after the accident. Tok, accompanied by her son, reportedly left for Egypt and then the U.S. Bülent Cihantimur, the father of Timur Cihantimur, has been slapped with a travel ban as part of the ongoing investigation.

In the latest development in the case, which has been one of the leading topics of debate in the country for the past two weeks, the reactions continued to escalate rapidly after a Turkish citizen in New York shared photos of the fugitive mother and son on social media. Thousands of social media users, emphasizing the mother and son seemed to have a carefree demeanor in the photo, renewed calls for the suspects to return and surrender to justice.

Speaking to daily Hürriyet, the parents of the victim stated that the pain that “remained the same from the first day doubled with the impact of the released photo.”

Highlighting that she is aware that the suspect will not receive a high penalty due to being a minor, the mother nevertheless expressed her desire for justice to prevail in the incident that drew the reaction of millions.

Meanwhile, local media reported that the father, Bülent Cihantimur, who is suspected of having assisted the child and the mother in fleeing, was called to the prosecutor's office to testify.