GEORGE TOWN: A mother was overcome with grief when she discovered that her son, who died in a hit-and-run crash, was wearing the same shirt she had bought for his birthday in July.
Mohamad Nazhif Faris Mohd Fauzi, 22, and his friend Daniesha Hana Mohd Hairul, 20, both from Padang Serai, Kedah, died after their motorcycle was hit by an unidentified vehicle on the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway near the Penang Bridge exit.
A 23-year-old SUV driver has since surrendered to police.
Nazhif's sister-in-law, Nur Hidayati Jasri, 36, said his mother broke down when she recognised the grey long-sleeved shirt he had worn during his birthday celebration.
She said Nazhif had been upset in July when his parents were late in wishing him on his birthday, making the discovery all the more painful for the family.
"We were told the female victim had died while Nazhif was in critical condition. However, both were later confirmed dead," she said when met at the Penang Hospital Forensic Department.
Nur Hidayati said the family only learnt about the crash around 4am after her husband, Nazhif's eldest brother, received a call from a friend asking him to check messages in a WhatsApp group discussing the incident.
The family had not known that Nazhif was in Penang that night.
He was pursuing a degree in mechatronics at Universiti Kuala Lumpur-Malaysian Spanish Institute in Kulim, Kedah, and usually returned to Padang Serai on weekends.
She described him as cheerful and hardworking, and said he was close to his family, particularly his brothers, nieces and nephews.
Meanwhile, Daniesha's mother, Masniezar Ahmad, 44, said her eldest child of six siblings had told her she was going fishing when she left home around 8pm yesterday.
"She had never gone fishing before. I never imagined it would be her first and last time," she said.
Masniezar said she exchanged WhatsApp messages with Daniesha around 10pm, and her daughter replied two hours later, saying she would be home shortly.
She learnt of the tragedy around 4am after her brother-in-law saw a TikTok livestream of the crash and suspected that one of the victims was Daniesha.
Her identity was then confirmed using her identity card.
Masniezar said her daughter had previously been involved in two motorcycle accidents but escaped serious injury.
She also noticed that Daniesha had become more withdrawn over the past month.
She urged the public not to speculate about her daughter or criticise either victim.
"As a mother, I hope netizens will not make their own assumptions. Please pray for us," she said.
Nazhif's funeral is expected to be held at Masjid Kampung Permatang Tok Dik, while Daniesha will be buried at Masjid Al-Muhammadi in Taman Mahsuri, Padang Serai.
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