Houston Instagram star dies after being ejected from Jeep during rollover crash on I-10
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A well-known social media influencer and aspiring musician was killed in a single car accident early Monday morning.
Tributes have been pouring through social media for PJ Simien III, a Kinkaid High School and Texas A&M graduate, and former high school football star.
Simien is also the cousin of journalist Roland Martin.
Martin posted a long Twitter thread on Simien, including, "It pains me that your life ended in such a painful tragic way, the details of the crash are horrifying."
Police say that around 2:30 a.m., Simien's Jeep Wrangler was heading east when it veered into the TxDOT sand barrels at the exit ramp toward the HOV lanes that head into downtown.
The Wrangler rolled over several times, and he was apparently ejected from the vehicle.
He died at the scene.
"It's just devastating, really," said Yvonne Guidry, a close friend of Simien who partied with him often. The two just saw each other during the early evening hours on Sunday at a new club near downtown.
Guidry posted a short video of Simien on Instagram, where he is seen dancing, laughing, and just generally having a good time.
"You would always see him on Instagram on his microphone, singing on Instagram stories," she said.
Simien lived on Instagram, his handle @pjtheigmodel, alluded to it as much. So perhaps it was fitting that the tributes also poured in via social media.
Rapper Slim Thug wrote on Instagram, "#RIPPJ, sad day for the party scene in the H."
"He was just a free spirit, had no fear. He was on a plane every week, going somewhere fun," said friend Tameka Lord, who recalled the time Simien brought his small dog to a Jay-Z concert.
Lord and other friends all saw Simien's final Instagram story, which appeared to show him drinking tequila. Investigators have not confirmed if alcohol played a role in the accident.
Friends, though, are sharing a cautious tale.
"Let Uber be your friend," Lord said. "He's the one that got me to start using Uber, I was kind of confused that he didn't use Uber."
"My condolences go out to everyone that knew him. This whole Houston community, we all must do better in taking responsibility of our friends leaving an establishment, because it's just a sad awakening that he's gone," Guidry said.
