18-year-old was trying to ‘show off’ before crash that killed friend, MN cops say

An 18-year-old told police he was celebrating his high school graduation when he crashed his car, killing his friend, Minnesota authorities said.

Izak Schermerhorn was driving recklessly on May 27 before his car flipped into a ditch and fatally pinned Blake Unger, according to a probable cause statement filed in Otter Tail County.

Deputies responded to the crash in Bluffton Township at about 10:45 p.m., and Unger was pronounced dead at the scene, the statement read.

A deputy noticed “deep ruts in the road where it appeared the driver had been aggressively fishtailing back and forth along the gravel road before rolling,” according to the statement.

The driver, Schermerhorn, had a “noticeable odor of alcohol” on him, the deputy said.

He told the deputy he had “three or four” Mike’s Hard Lemonades that night and said “his life was over and all for a couple of drinks,” the statement said. He failed a sobriety test, authorities said.

Schermerhorn said he picked up Unger earlier just to drive around a little, because “he wanted to show off the sound of his exhaust because he modified his catalytic converter,” according to the deputy. “He intentionally had been sliding around the road before the crash and was not able to control the vehicle when it went into the ditch.”

“He further stated that he had abstained for almost a year prior due to issues with alcohol but decided to celebrate because he was graduating from high school,” the deputy said.

Schermerhorn is facing three counts of vehicular homicide, records show.

Unger and Schermerhorn both attended New York Mills High School and had recently graduated, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported.

Unger was an avid athlete, competing in wrestling, baseball and football, the outlet reported. He was also homecoming king during the fall semester.

“We can learn more from sorrow than we can from laughter. All of our hearts are broken … our sadness is gut wrenching - there’s a hole, something is missing. I CAN’T IMAGINE this being magnified by infinity as it is for Blake’s entire family,” Dinee Dykhoff, a New York Mills teacher, said in a Facebook post. “Blake was so kind to everyone... big smile (matched his heart and his personality)... so strong... humble... exceptional athlete.”

Bluffton Township is a roughly 160-mile drive northwest from Minneapolis.

This story was originally published May 29, 2025 at 4:48 PM with the headline "18-year-old was trying to ‘show off’ before crash that killed friend, MN cops say."