Police arrested a TikTok content creator who was live-streaming to 14 viewers when she fatally struck a 59-year-old pedestrian.
Tynesha McCarty-Wroten, known by her TikTok handle “Tea Tyme,” struck Darren Lucas while live-streaming on Nov. 3, 2025.
Lucas, a grocery store employee, was dead on arrival at a local hospital. He was struck across the street from Torres Fresh Market in Zion, Illinois, where he worked.
Tynesha, 46, was arrested on Christmas Eve and charged with 2 felonies: reckless homicide and aggravated use of a communication device resulting in death.
Tynesha was leaving home with her bags packed when officers served her with an arrest warrant.
Prosecutors said Tynesha was previously arrested for a DUI, and she was driving on a suspended license.
Toxicology tests revealed no alcohol or drugs in her system at the time of the fatal accident.
The live-stream was deleted from her TikTok page, but someone uploaded the video on TikTok.
In the video, Tynesha screamed loudly and a thud is heard when the accident happened at 5:46 pm.
“F–k, f–k, f–k,” she said before getting out of the vehicle. Tynesha’s 7-year-old grandson, who was in the backseat, asked her “What was that?”
When Tynesha got back in the car, a woman on the live-stream asked if she was okay.
“I just hit somebody,” the content creator said. “Call y’all right back.”
TikToker Tea Tyme fatally struck a pedestrian live-streaming on TikTok-while driving. Darren Lucas, dad, Six Flags security-just got promoted. Cops say she clipped him crossing 33rd & Sheridan, Zion; massive head trauma, gone on scene.? ???? pic.twitter.com/GSiwiv1weU
— Rain Drops Media (@Raindropsmedia1) November 8, 2025
A Reddit user watched the livestream as it happened.
“She was driving while talking to everyone in the chat responding to comments, looking at the screen way too much. You could clearly tell she wasn’t paying attention to the road. I remember thinking, ‘Girl please just focus, this is not safe.’
“Then suddenly, in the middle of the conversation, there was this loud thud like the car hit something solid. Her phone jerked, the camera shook, and then she just froze. The look on her face was pure shock. She put the phone down, opened the door, and got out. People in the chat were confused, asking what happened. And then the live just ended.”
Police said Tynesha remained at the scene and called 911 to report the accident.
She has since made her TikTok account private and deleted her bio section, which listed her residence as Zion, Illinois.
Following her arrest, she was released on bond pending her murder trial. A preliminary hearing is set for June 27, 2026.
She is restricted to her home after a curfew every night. She is not allowed to drive or use social media outside of her residence.
State prosecutors said she “posed an incredible risk to every driver and pedestrian” and was “selfish” to live-stream while driving.
