Cesar Tejada woke up every morning at 3:30 a.m. for work. The 58-year-old husband and father of two drove for Uber, never really knowing what the day might bring. When he left in the early morning hours of January 1, 2026, his wife, Evelyn Tejada Tatis, had no idea she’d never see her husband alive again. Just after 5 a.m., police in Lawrenceville, Georgia, received a call about a body in a roadway. When they arrived, they found Tejada dead from an apparent gunshot wound, but his car was gone. Hours later, they recovered the vehicle. But no one expected the alleged carjacker and killer would be too young for a driver’s license.
According to a release from the Lawrenceville Police Department, Tejada picked up 15-year-old Christian Simmons from a home on Rangewood Drive in Lilburn around 4:15 a.m. Using FLOCK camera technology and assistance from Uber, police determined Tejada drove Simmons to his destination in Lawrenceville. Simmons reportedly got out of the SUV’s back seat and approached Tejeda’s door. He allegedly shot and robbed the driver and then took off with his car.
“He was just out trying to make extra money for his family,” Lawrenceville Public Information Officer Dena Pauly shared during a news conference. “It’s a senseless act and not the way any family would want to start a new year.”
Several hours later, police recovered Tejada’s car. They arrested Simmons shortly thereafter.
“We’re saddened by this devastating loss, and our condolences go out to the driver’s family during this incredibly difficult time,” Uber shared in a statement obtained by WNAF. “We’ve been in contact with the Lawrenceville Police Department to help support their investigation.”
Tejada’s wife started a GoFundMe account to help with his final expenses. She said her husband had no idea that picking up Simmons would prove fatal.
“He just left him laying on the ground and left the scene after taking his cellphone, his car and the most valuable thing he had, his life,” she wrote on the page.
The mourning widow will miss her husband terribly.
“Cesar was the pillar of our home. He was an exemplary man and excellent husband. He was a great father to our two children. A good son, friend, and human being,” she added. “He wasn’t the type of person to create controversy, he was very calm, composed. He lived a quiet life working hard to provide for his family.”
The 15-year-old reportedly has a history in the juvenile courts, but this time, Simmons faces murder charges as an adult.
