Who was Jesse Koz? Influencer on 'dream' US road trip dies with pet dog in horror crash
A Brazilian influencer was two days away from finishing his "dream" trip when he died with his pet golden dog. Traveller Jesse Koz's 1978 Volkswagen Beetle banged with a Ford Escape on US Highway 199 in Selma, Oregon, on Monday, May 23. Koz's pet dog Shurastey, who was also his travel partner, died on spot.
Koz had been touring throughout the United States for the previous three months, uploading vacation images on Instagram, where he had over 359,000 followers and millions of likes. During his death, the wanderer was on his way to Alaska and was scheduled to arrive later this week. Koz had long desired to drive from Brazil to America's Last Frontier, and he began his quest some years ago. However, the Covid-19 outbreak beat his original objective of visiting the United States, as the US closed its southern border to travelers in March 2020. Koz re-started his voyage at the start of this year, crossing into America in early February. He posted a snapshot on Instagram in February this year, where Shurastey was watching a sunset. He captioned it: “I just wanted to enjoy a sunset in the company of my friend, I know we still have many more to come and as far as it depends on me we will always be together until the sun sets one last time."
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The influencer and his canine companion intended to travel along the West Coast, pass into Canada and drive north to Alaska, their final goal. Koz’s family is now in the process of extraditing his body back to Brazil. The Ford's female driver survived the collision and was brought to the hospital with injuries. Fans flocked to Koz's Instagram page to pay respect to the brave influencer after hearing about his automobile accident.“You lived life beautifully!” a user wrote. Another user commented, “You were an inspiration to millions of people. Thanks. God will welcome you both with open arms.”
Before heading to the East Coast, Koz, and the canine drove via California and across Florida. Last month, the duo visited New York City, with photos on social media showing Koz's beloved Beetle parked in Times Square. From there, Koz journeyed to Chicago and then along Route 66, reaching Los Angeles in less than three weeks at the end of the legendary roadway. Just four days before his death, Koz shared a picture in front of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, and captioned, “There is no happiness without freedom … I came out of a prison that was my old life where others made the decisions for me so I could have the freedom to choose what I wanted!”