Days after graduation, a Minnesota community is mourning the loss of a recent high school grad — and it was at the hands of a classmate. One young man, Izak Schermerhorn, has been charged after allegedly driving his car while drunk. Eager to show off some upgrades on his car to classmate Blake Unger, Schermerhorn reportedly lost control of his car. He allegedly knew that he had been drinking, but didn’t think it would impair his abilities. Except, it did. And now, he could be spending time behind bars, and his friend has lost his life.
Eighteen-year-old Izak Schermerhorn was charged with three counts of criminal vehicular homicide on May 29, Fox 9 reported. The criminal complaint filed states that he was driving a car that rolled into a ditch in Bluffton Township on May 27, 2025. When authorities arrived on the scene, they were told that 18-year-old Blake Unger, was pinned underneath the truck.
Investigators reported that the truck was “fishtailing” before the crash. Schermerhorn told deputies that he wanted to show off the sound of the modified exhaust system. He also told deputies 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.”
According to investigators, a breath test put Schermerhorn’s blood alcohol at 0.13.
It was also reported that Schermerhorn was distressed at the scene. The criminal complaint states he “repeatedly made statements that ‘his life was over and all for a couple of drinks.’ In addition, that ‘he f—ed up.’” And when he was asked how much he had to drink, he said “three to four Mike’s Hard Lemonades.”
Schermerhorn told deputies he had stopped drinking over the previous year because he had a problem with alcohol. However, he admitted he drank because he was celebrating graduation.
After the accident, the teen called his mother before attempting to break out of the driver’s side window, The Minnesota Star Tribune reported. He saw that Unger was trapped under the passenger’s side of the tipped truck.
Blake Unger was an athlete who played football and baseball, and was on the wrestling team. He was voted homecoming king last fall. Both boys graduated from New York Mills High School last week. Students from the classes of 2021, 2023, and 2025 organized a GoFundMe for Unger’s parents to help with the unexpected funeral costs.
Schermerhorn is due back in court June 10.
