Aspiring Theater Teacher Recalled as Charmer Who Encouraged Kids

Friends and colleagues recalled Harold Wise IV, the man killed in a Saturday Lakeside car wreck, as a 21-year-old aspiring theater teacher “who could change the mood in the room,” as a loved one told NBCSanDiego.com.

He was an actor, and played Captain Hook in the May Poway Center for the Performing Arts production of Peter Pan. He also served as a director's assistant with the MET 2 theater troupe, which exposes youth to the stage.

“Kids looked up to him, and he always made people feel special,” Alison Bretches, of MET 2, told the station. “He would tell the kids ‘you were awesome’ and give them a high five.”

Wise, according to the report, was finally back on his feet after a traumatic brain injury he suffered two years ago. He was looking forward to playing the lead in an upcoming production of The Music Man when he died.

Wise died at the scene of the crash Saturday on Lake Jennings Park Road. Authorities say his Nissan drifted over the center divider and struck a Jeep. A father and daughter in the Jeep sustained serious injuries in the wreck, in which Wise's excessive speed is believed to be a factor.

Investigators also suspect Wise may have been driving under the influence at the time of the crash.