SALISBURY, N.C. — A community is grieving the heartbreaking loss of Fletcher Mark Daniel Harris, a Bandys High School graduate, Catawba College student-athlete, and Hickory FC player, who was killed in a tragic car crash on Friday, January 16. He was 20 years old.
According to a news release from the Catawba College athletic department, Harris, a Catawba County native, was one of two people killed in the collision on Amity Hill Road in Salisbury. The second victim was Skylar Nichole Provenza, 19, of Statesville.
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol, as reported by the Salisbury Post, said Harris and Provenza were traveling northeast in a Honda Accord when their vehicle was struck head-on by a Chevy Silverado that had crossed the center line. One of the victims was ejected during the crash. Both were pronounced deceased at the scene.
Authorities identified the driver of the Silverado as 37-year-old Juan Alvarado Aguilar. He was treated at the scene by EMS for minor injuries and later arrested. Aguilar has been charged with two counts of felony causing death by a motor vehicle, driving while intoxicated, traveling left of the center line, and driving while his license was revoked. He was transported to the Rowan County Detention Center and is being held under a $251,000 bond.
Harris graduated from Bandys High School in 2023 and had been a member of the Catawba College men’s soccer program for the past three seasons. He was a double major in Environmental and Sustainability and Biology, earning consistent recognition on the Presidential Honor Roll and Dean’s List. Beyond his collegiate career, Harris also played for Hickory FC and was part of the club’s 2025 National Championship squad.
Friends, teammates, coaches, and classmates have remembered Harris as a dedicated student, a committed athlete, and a respected teammate whose impact extended well beyond the field.
Information courtesy of Catawba College Athletics, the Salisbury Post, and Hickory FC. Photo courtesy of Catawba College Athletics Facebook page.
