HARTLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A teenage girl who was riding her longboard in Livingston County is paralyzed after a driver crossed the center line, struck her, and then left the scene to put his Mini Cooper behind a barn, police said.
Teen struck while riding longboard
The crash happened around 11:20 p.m. Oct. 22, 2024, in the 4000 block of Hartland Road in Hartland Township
Gabriella Golden, 18, of Fenton, was riding a longboard down a hill on the road, according to a report from Michigan State Police.
She was struck by a car heading north on Hartland Road, and the driver left the scene, the police report says.
Witnesses paint picture of crash scene
A passerby reported at 11:25 p.m. that she saw Golden lying in the middle of the road with blood on her face. The passerby said she stayed in her car and called police while the driver of a black Camaro stopped to check on Golden.
“(Witness) did not see anybody around the body,” the police report reads. “Saw an Adidas shoe with glass in the road.”
The Camaro driver told police that he had been heading north on Hartland Road when he saw someone in the roadway and several other people gathering at the scene.
A couple who lives in the 4000 block of Hartland Road reported that they heard the crash and went outside to see Golden in the roadway. The driver had already left, they said.
Golden taken to hospital
Officials found Golden lying on Hartland Road with critical injuries. They gave her treatment and rushed her to University of Michigan Mott Hospital in Ann Arbor.
They reported that she was “screaming in pain.”
U of M medical workers said Golden had a spine injury, complications with her carotid artery, a dislocated right shoulder, a grade 1 liver injury, a grade 1 spleen injury, and road rash.
When police checked on Golden on Oct. 25, 2024, she had improved but was still in critical condition, according to hospital staff.
Crash scene
When troopers arrived at the scene, they found at least four “car parts” in the roadway -- a right-side headlight chrome surrounding ring bearing, a front-right wheel side upper fender arch cover bearing, a front-right wheel side upper fender arch cover, and a grill part.
Troopers also found Golden’s gray T-shirt, a black iPhone, and her black and brown longboard, which had a broken wheel axle.
Police said they received a flash drive containing surveillance video from a home in the 4100 block of Hartland Road.
Two of the car parts contained model numbers. The fender part number and surveillance video led police to believe that Golden had been struck by a 2002-2008 Mini Cooper.
Boyfriend arrives at crash scene
Police said they were investigating the crash when Golden’s boyfriend arrived and told them he thought the injured person was his girlfriend.
He told police that Golden wanted to ride her longboard down the hill, so he dropped her off near Hartland and Cook roads. Then, he drove south on Hartland Road to wait for her, according to the police report.
The boyfriend said he was still waiting when he saw lights and sirens heading toward where he was expecting to see Golden, so he got worried that something had happened.
He told police that about 10 minutes had passed since he dropped Golden off.
“(The boyfriend) advised he did observe one car pass him traveling northbound, which he thought was a PT cruiser due to the round headlights,” the police report says.
Surveillance video
Police said the crash could be “clearly heard” at 11:20 p.m. on the surveillance footage. About 15 seconds later, the Mini Cooper passed by the house in the video, the report says.
“A separate security camera shows the suspect vehicle turn westbound onto Cook Road from Hartland Road,” it reads. “(The camera owner’s) residence is less than a quarter-mile from the crash scene.”
The Mini Cooper was seen on separate camera footage at 11:19 p.m. heading north on Hartland Road through the intersection with Crouse Road, which is about 0.6 miles from the crash scene, according to authorities.
Police visit home of suspected driver
Police said they searched the surrounding area for registered Mini Coopers and identified James Lawrence Shaheen, 38, of Livingston County, as a possible suspect. He had a 2003 Mini Cooper and an address on Cullen Road -- about two miles away from where Golden was found.
When a state trooper went to the home at 1:43 a.m. Oct. 23, 2025, to speak to Shaheen, there was no answer. Police did not see the Mini Cooper at the home, only a black Buick.
“After knocking for several minutes, we cleared,” the police report says. “It should be noted, (the trooper) made a return trip to the residence at approximately 2:50 a.m. and noticed that the Buick sedan was now gone.”
Suspected driver calls police
The next day -- at 1:09 p.m. Oct. 22, 2024 -- Shaheen called state police and said that he had hit someone with his car, according to the police report.
“James told me that last night he was involved in a crash in which he struck a pedestrian and fled the scene,” the cadet who took the call said in a written statement. “James told me he fled the scene because he was scared but was calling because he wanted to do the right thing and turn himself in.”
Shaheen told police that he had been driving a Mini Cooper at the time of the crash.
Shaheen was petting dog at time of crash, chief says
When police went back to the home shortly after the call, Shaheen was not there. He answered a phone call and said a police chief from Green Oak Township suggested getting legal representation.
He told police that he intended to cooperate with the investigation.
The Green Oak Township chief said he and Shaheen used to train together at a nearby gym, so Shaheen called him to say he had “messed up and hit someone.” The chief said he told Shaheen to call police.
Here is the full written statement the chief sent to Michigan State Police:
On Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, I spoke with James Shaheen over the phone at 12:48 p.m. James’ voice was shaking as he spoke. He stated that he believed he may have hit someone on a skateboard. James said that he was petting his dog when he crossed the center line and hit the skateboarder. James stated that he had a panic attack and fled the scene. James stated that he wanted to do the right thing now that he had time to process what happened.
He said the crash occurred in Hartland. I informed him that it was probably Livingston County Sheriff’s Office or Michigan State Police who took the call and to contact them to set up a time to give a statement. James said that he wanted to contact an attorney. James said that an MSP car was at (his) house last night. I told him MSP may have taken the call for service and to contact them.
I heard on the radio that MSP had the car and had spoke with James. I used to train with James at a local gym.
Green Oak Township police chief
What Shaheen said on phone
The trooper who called Shaheen was at Shaheen’s home while they spoke. He asked about the location of the Mini Cooper, and Shaheen said it was in his “graveyard” -- an area where there’s an older vehicle that his friends used to use for hunting, the police report says.
Police asked if the car was in or behind the barn east of Shaheen’s house, and he said it was behind the barn, according to authorities.
When police asked for permission to go see the car, Shaheen said, “Absolutely,” according to the report.
After Shaheen gave police permission to go see the car, he continued to talk on the phone, according to the police report. Here are his comments, per that report:
“I’m super shaken up by this. I know, I know 100% I should not have left the scene and, you know, as soon as that, like, I just, I don’t know what happened. I panicked, and, you know, one, I thought, I thought I did the worst. I thought the worst situation, you know, I panicked, and I’m only human, and as soon as I calmed down, I was, like, ‘OK, like (unintelligible), assess this like an adult. This is the situation at hand. This is what we need to do, so I started taking steps, and, you know, here we are.
“I didn’t want you guys to think you need to come hunt me down.”
Police said Shaheen also asked, “Is she OK?” When the trooper told Shaheen that Golden was alive, he said, “Good” and, “Thank you so much,” according to the police report.
As the conversation ended, the trooper said he told Shaheen that he was going to look at the car. Shaheen said the car didn’t currently have a license plate, and that it was somewhere in the barn, the police report says.
Shaheen said that he “just kind of took all the stuff out of the car and whatnot,” the report says.
Car found in wooded clearing behind barn
The trooper and a deputy with the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office walked back to the area near the barn and didn’t see the Mini Cooper. They saw tire tracks leading to an opening in the wooded area in the southeast part of the yard.
When they walked back to that area, they said they saw a blue Mini Cooper with “obvious damage to the front end, windshield, and roof.”
Blood, hair found on car
The trooper said he saw blood on the broken windshield near where it meets the roof of the car. There was a “small amount of hair” stuck in the weather seal between the windshield and the roof, the trooper said.
“Upon opening the front passenger door, three long strands of hair appeared to be hanging from the windshield that was caved into the interior of the vehicle,” the police report says.
Police said Shaheen gave consent for the car to be towed to Michigan State Police’s Brighton Post.
When the Mini Cooper was examined at the post, it had extensive front passenger damage, dents along the top of the vehicle, damage on the rear hatch, deflated tires, and the front windshield was “caved in,” the report says.
Blood and hair strands were embedded into the glass of the windshield, police said. There was also blood on the top of the car near the back passenger side, as well as on the back near the rear passenger brake light, the report says.
Police collected samples of the blood from the windshield, the top of the car, and the back hatch.
A clear plastic cup with a purple/pink liquid was found in the center cup holder, police said. It tested negative for alcohol.
Police interview declined
Police said they called Shaheen on Nov. 18 and asked if he had spoken with his attorney.
Shaheen said he did speak with his attorney, and he declined an interview, according to the report.
Shaheen arrested, charged
Shaheen was arraigned on April 14, 2025, on one count of failure to stop at the scene of a serious personal injury crash. It’s not clear exactly when he was taken into custody.
He was given a $15,000 bond, cash/surety. Court records show he posted bond and was released from custody on Tuesday, April 22, 2025.
Local 4 has reached out to Shaheen’s attorney and is waiting to hear back.
Golden’s severe injuries
Golden was released from the hospital on Nov. 7, 2024 -- so she spent more than 15 days there after the crash.
She was transferred to a spinal rehab center in Grand Rapids, and hospital workers said she would need extensive follow-up visits because of her injuries.
Monica Schwartz, Golden’s aunt, said Golden was in the spinal rehab center until Christmas Eve and was forced to drop out of her first semester of college.
“Gabbi is a very independent spirit,” Schwartz said. “She’s very kind. She was in her first semester of college, excited to kind of start her new life, and unfortunately, that had to change.”
To this day, Golden is wheelchair bound, paralyzed from the waist down, and cannot use the bathroom on her own, according to Schwartz. Her right, dominant arm is not fully functional because of the shoulder injury, and there is metal in her abdomen that’s too risky to remove, Schwartz said.
“I tell her that she shouldn’t lose her spark,” Schwartz said. “There’s always a lesson. But I try to tell her to take that energy and use it to make herself -- have a better life.”
Golden still has “deeply embedded shards of glass” that resurface from her skin, according to Schwartz.
“She wanted to go into a certain career path that she’ll no longer be able to do,” Schwartz said. “Her whole life plan has been upended.”
‘Gabriella would have died’
Schwartz told Local 4 that if it weren’t for the good Samaritans who heard the crash and helped Golden, she would have died.
“We’ve kind of seen the polar opposites during this incident: Someone who couldn’t care whether she lived or died, and then we have all of these good people who saved her life, even visited her in the hospital,” Schwartz said. “They’re kind of like little guardian angels to have someone there in that situation.”
Schwartz doesn’t think Shaheen cared about her niece.
“I think a basic core value of being a human being is to care whether or not others die, and when someone doesn’t have that trait, I think it’s dangerous,” Schwartz said.
She said every action has a consequence.
“She’s 18 years old,” Schwartz said. “Gabriella only had a license for two years of her life, and now she’ll never be able to drive again. I think If someone does that kind of action, then they shouldn’t be able to drive ever again.”
Donations for family
A fundraiser for the family was set up after the crash.
The doctors are still waiting to see if further injuries were sustained on her internal organs, but at this point, she has sustained a paralyzing injury and remains on a ventilator in a medically induced coma.
The devastation that Gabriella and the family are experiencing has only just begun. The immediate needs and long-term financial burden, as you can imagine, are going to be huge. Gabriella is faced with an extensive hospital stay, which brings with it travel back and forth, as well as extended time away from work for her parents. Looking ahead, the need for adjusting their home and possibly vehicle to accommodate her needs moving forward will be significant. This beautiful family needs our support for this completely life-changing event.
GoFundMe for Gabriella Golden (in part).
