Netflix’s latest crime documentary, ‘The Crash (2026)’, tells the disturbing true story of a deadly car crash that changed the lives of several families in Strongsville, Ohio, forever. Directed by Gareth Johnson, the documentary revisits the events surrounding 17-year-old Mackenzie Shirilla, who crashed her car into a brick building in July 2022, killing her boyfriend Dominic Russo and his friend Davion Flanagan.
The documentary is not only about the crash itself. It also looks closely at teenage relationships, social media culture, grief, and the emotional damage left behind after one terrible decision. Through interviews, police footage, surveillance clips, and Mackenzie’s own interview, The Crash tries to understand what really happened that morning and why the case still divides people years later.
What led to the fatal crash?
The story begins in the early morning hours of July 31, 2022. Mackenzie Shirilla had been spending time with Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan after a high school graduation party. Around 5:30 a.m., the three got into Mackenzie’s Toyota Camry. Dominic sat in the front passenger seat while Davion sat in the back. What should have been a normal drive home quickly turned into a tragedy.
According to investigators, Mackenzie turned onto Progress Drive, a long residential road in Strongsville, Ohio. Prosecutors later argued that she accelerated the car to nearly 100 miles per hour before driving straight into a brick commercial building. The crash was devastating. Emergency responders arrived to find the vehicle completely destroyed. Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan were pronounced dead at the scene. Mackenzie survived but suffered serious injuries and had to be airlifted to a hospital, where she underwent several surgeries.
The crash shocked the entire community. At first, many people believed it was simply a terrible accident caused by reckless driving. But as detectives began investigating, questions started to grow. Mackenzie claimed she could not remember anything about the crash. Investigators then began looking into her relationship with Dominic and her behavior before the incident.
Why did the prosecutors believe it was murder?
The documentary explains that Mackenzie and Dominic had been together for four years. According to Mackenzie’s father, the couple had even talked about getting married one day. Friends and family described them as inseparable during high school. They spent most of their time together shopping, cooking, and hanging out with friends. Mackenzie also built a social media following on TikTok, where she promoted clothing brands and shared videos online.
However, the documentary also reveals that their relationship had become troubled in the months before the crash. Dominic’s mother, Christine, claimed there had been increasing tension between the two. Prosecutors later presented statements suggesting Mackenzie had physically abused Dominic during arguments. One of the most important moments in the investigation came from an earlier incident in July 2022.
According to the documentary, Dominic once called his mother while riding in the car with Mackenzie because he felt unsafe. He reportedly asked her to send someone to pick him up because Mackenzie was driving recklessly. During that phone call, a family friend allegedly heard Mackenzie screaming that she would “crash this car.” Prosecutors later used this statement during the trial to argue that the deadly crash was intentional.
The documentary spends a large amount of time examining the evidence investigators used. County prosecutor Tim Troup explains many of the findings in detail. Toxicology reports showed that Mackenzie did not have alcohol, THC, or psilocybin in her system at the time of the crash. Investigators also examined the vehicle itself and found no mechanical failures. According to a forensic auto examiner, both the accelerator and brakes were functioning properly.
One of the most important pieces of evidence came from the car’s black box data. Investigators found that the gas pedal had been pushed down fully for an extended amount of time before the collision. The steering wheel also appeared to move slightly left and right before straightening. Prosecutors argued that this showed Mackenzie was still controlling the car during the final seconds before impact.
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How did social media shape perceptions?
Director Gareth Johnson presents the footage in a very raw and uncomfortable way. The documentary includes body-cam footage from the crash scene and surveillance videos showing the moment the car slammed into the building. Johnson said he wanted viewers to feel the same shock experienced by investigators and the victims’ families during the trial. The sound of the impact and the images of the destroyed vehicle make some parts of the documentary very difficult to watch.
Johnson also had a personal reason for making the film. When he was a teenager, he was involved in a car accident that killed another person and left him seriously injured. He explained that while recovering in the hospital, he watched how the crash affected everyone around him, including family and friends. That experience pushed him to explore this story from the perspective of the people left behind after a tragedy.
The documentary also spends time focusing on Davion Flanagan’s life. Davion had been a promising football player and had dreams connected to college and the NFL. But after suffering ACL and UCL injuries near the end of high school, his future in sports became uncertain. According to the documentary, he later began experimenting with drugs and became more connected to Mackenzie and Dominic’s social circle. Interviews with Davion’s sister and other friends help show how deeply his death affected his family.
As the investigation continued, prosecutors also pointed to Mackenzie’s behavior after the crash. The documentary claims that social media videos showed her appearing unemotional in the aftermath of Dominic and Davion’s deaths. Prosecutors highlighted posts connected to clothing brand deals and other online activity that happened shortly after the funerals. These details became part of the larger argument that she lacked remorse.
What was Mackenzie’s defense argument?
During the trial, Mackenzie’s legal team argued that she suffered from POTS, a blood pressure disorder that can cause fainting or temporary blackouts. Her defense suggested that she may have lost consciousness while driving and therefore did not intentionally cause the crash. Mackenzie herself did not testify during the trial. Her lawyers instead chose a bench trial, meaning the judge alone would decide the verdict rather than a jury.
In August 2023, the judge rejected the defense’s explanation. The court ruled that the crash was intentional and described Mackenzie’s actions as “controlled, methodical, deliberate, intentional and purposeful.” The judge famously stated, “This was not reckless driving. This was murder.” Mackenzie Shirilla was found guilty on multiple counts, including murder, felonious assault, and aggravated vehicular homicide. She received a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 15 years. After sentencing, Mackenzie read a statement directed toward the victims’ families. She apologized and said she hoped one day they would understand that she never meant for the crash to happen. She also repeated that she could not remember what happened that morning.
One of the biggest reasons The Crash gained attention is because Mackenzie eventually agreed to sit down for an interview with the filmmakers. Throughout the documentary, Johnson and producer Angharad Scott explain that they wanted viewers to hear directly from her. However, the interview does not provide many new answers. Mackenzie continues to insist that she has no memory of the moments leading up to the crash. Even when asked difficult questions, she cannot explain why the car accelerated or what she was thinking during those final seconds.
The documentary leaves viewers with the same uncertainty that has surrounded the case from the beginning. Prosecutors believe the evidence clearly proves intent. Mackenzie and her family continue to deny that she deliberately caused the crash. Appeals requesting a new trial were later denied, including another appeal that was reportedly rejected because it had been filed too late.
By the end, The Crash becomes less about solving a mystery and more about showing the long-lasting pain caused by the tragedy. Gareth Johnson and Angharad Scott focus heavily on the emotional scars left on the Strongsville community, the victims’ families, and even the people who knew Mackenzie personally. The documentary also raises larger questions about teenage relationships, emotional instability, online image culture, and how social media can shape public opinion during criminal investigations.
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