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Johnston County

Johnston County: Austin Paradise, 12, dies in Four Oaks ATV crash, sheriff says

A Rose & Graham listing now sets 2 p.m. Thursday in Benson. WRAL independently printed that hour. ABC11 and CBS 17 had already written that a Thursday service was planned.

UpdatedThis story has changed since it was first published.

By Triangle Local Staff · Published · Updated

The Johnston County courthouse in Smithfield

File photo: Ammodramus (CC0), via Wikimedia Commons.

What we know

Confirmed

  • A 12-year-old died Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, in an ATV crash in Four Oaks, according to the Johnston County Sheriff's Office as reported by ABC11.Confirmed by Johnston County Sheriff's Office, as reported by ABC11 (posted Oct. 27, 2026, 3:49 a.m.)
  • ABC11 identified the child as Austin Paradise. JoCo Report independently used the same name and the nickname AJ.Confirmed by ABC11, Oct. 27, 2026; JoCo Report, Oct. 26, 2026
  • JoCo Report wrote that he was a seventh-grade student at Four Oaks Middle School and that the crash was Sunday afternoon in southern Johnston County.Confirmed by JoCo Report only, Oct. 26, 2026
  • ABC11 placed the wreck in the 1300 block of Shaws Pond Road in Four Oaks and wrote that he died a day before Monday night's vigil.Confirmed by ABC11 only
  • ABC11, quoting a sheriff's office release, wrote that deputies responded and described the death as "a heartbreaking and unintentional tragedy," with condolences to the family, loved ones, and community.Confirmed by Johnston County Sheriff's Office release, as reported by ABC11
  • People gathered Monday evening to remember him. JoCo Report, writing Monday, listed a 7:30 p.m. candlelight vigil at the Barbour Grove Gazebo in downtown Four Oaks. ABC11 later described a Monday night vigil with song and prayer.Confirmed by JoCo Report, Oct. 26, 2026; ABC11, Oct. 27, 2026
  • A Tuesday morning check of Rose & Graham Funeral Home listings did not show an obituary we could confirm. A later Tuesday look at the same public index still did not show a matching listing. A listing later posted under that funeral home sets a 2 p.m. service Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026, at Rose and Graham Funeral Home, 301 W. Main Street, Benson, and says the family will receive friends immediately afterward.Confirmed by Rose & Graham Funeral Home listing on Legacy.com, fetched Oct. 27, 2026
  • CBS 17, in a page posted Monday night and updated Tuesday, independently named AJ Paradise, placed the wreck in the 1300 block of Shaws Pond Road, and wrote that the family set a Thursday funeral.Confirmed by CBS 17, posted Oct. 26, 2026, 10:56 p.m., updated Oct. 27, 2026, 6:38 a.m.
  • CBS 17, citing the sheriff's office, wrote that he was riding a UTV, a side-by-side utility vehicle, on private property when it rolled over. WRAL, in a Tuesday night staff report, independently used the same UTV, private-property, 1300-block, and rollover lines and said deputies found the overturned vehicle.Confirmed by CBS 17, Oct. 26–27, 2026; WRAL, Oct. 27, 2026
  • ABC11 and JoCo Report both wrote ATV and did not print a rollover or a private-property line.Confirmed by ABC11; JoCo Report
  • ABC11, in the same Tuesday account, wrote that the family announced a Thursday funeral. CBS 17 had the same Thursday line. Neither of those earlier pages gave a time or a chapel.Confirmed by ABC11, Oct. 27, 2026; CBS 17, Oct. 26–27, 2026
  • WRAL independently wrote that the funeral is scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday at Rose and Graham Funeral Home in Benson, matching the later listing.Confirmed by WRAL, Oct. 27, 2026; Rose & Graham Funeral Home listing on Legacy.com

Still unknown

  • What caused the crash. CBS 17 and WRAL wrote that a UTV rolled over; ABC11 and JoCo Report wrote ATV and did not
  • Whether anyone else was hurt
  • A written sheriff's office page we can read ourselves

What this means for you

Public safety
Officials have described the death as unintentional and have not said anyone else was hurt. This story is not an official or emergency notice. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.

Instructions from Johnston County Sheriff's Office, as reported by ABC11; sheriff contact page

This site is not the Johnston County Sheriff's Office. For the case, use the sheriff. Non-emergency is 919-989-5010. This is not an emergency service. If anyone is in danger, call 911.

What happened

In Johnston County, a 12-year-old died Sunday in an ATV crash in Four Oaks, according to the Johnston County Sheriff's Office as reported by ABC11.

ABC11 identified him as Austin Paradise. JoCo Report independently used the same name and the nickname AJ, and described him as a seventh-grader at Four Oaks Middle School. CBS 17 also used AJ Paradise.

The ABC11 account placed the wreck in the 1300 block of Shaws Pond Road and said he died a day before Monday night's gathering. JoCo Report timed the crash Sunday afternoon in the southern part of the county. CBS 17 used that same 1300-block line.

The release quoted by ABC11 called the death "a heartbreaking and unintentional tragedy" and offered condolences to the family and the town. That station did not describe how the crash happened or whether anyone else was hurt.

CBS 17, citing the same office, said he had been riding a UTV, a side-by-side utility vehicle, on private property when it rolled over. WRAL, late Tuesday, independently used those same extra lines and wrote that deputies found the overturned machine. The ABC11 and JoCo pages both wrote ATV and skipped those extras.

People came together Monday evening to remember him. JoCo Report, writing before the gathering, listed 7:30 p.m. at the Barbour Grove Gazebo in downtown Four Oaks. ABC11 later described song and prayer at a Monday night vigil.

ABC11 and CBS 17 both wrote that the family set a Thursday funeral. Neither of those earlier pages listed an hour or a chapel. Two Tuesday checks of the Rose & Graham index still showed no matching notice.

A listing later posted under that funeral home sets 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, at Rose and Graham Funeral Home, 301 W. Main Street, Benson. It says friends will be received right after the service. WRAL independently printed that hour and the Benson chapel.

We have not read a department page of our own.

This site is not Johnston County's law-enforcement agency. If anyone is in danger, call 911.

What we don't know yet

Officials have not said what caused the crash or whether others were injured. The first two write-ups still say ATV. CBS 17 and WRAL write UTV and a rollover.

What happens next

We will update this story if the sheriff's office posts a written release.

Photos

Text-only. No outlet photos are used here.

Why it matters

A child died in a rural Johnston County crash. Neighbors need the official description, the two accounts we can read, and that investigators have not released a cause beyond calling it unintentional. This page is not an emergency notice.

Updates

  1. Oct 27, 2026, 8:00 PM

    A Rose & Graham listing now sets the funeral at 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, at 301 W. Main Street in Benson. WRAL independently printed that hour and chapel. WRAL also matched CBS 17's UTV, private-property, and rollover lines.

  2. Oct 27, 2026, 10:08 AM

    CBS 17 independently names AJ Paradise, places the wreck in the 1300 block of Shaws Pond Road, and writes that the family set a Thursday funeral. ABC11 had the same Thursday line. CBS 17 alone wrote that a UTV rolled over on private property. The funeral-home index still has no matching listing.

  3. Oct 27, 2026, 6:04 AM

    ABC11, citing a Johnston County Sheriff's Office release, names Austin Paradise, 12, places Sunday's ATV crash in the 1300 block of Shaws Pond Road in Four Oaks, and quotes deputies calling it an unintentional tragedy. JoCo Report independently names him, adds the AJ nickname and Four Oaks Middle, and times the crash Sunday afternoon.

Sources

  1. Community mourns Four Oaks 12-year-old killed in ATV accident: 'Hug your kids' (ABC11 / WTVD, Jamiese Price, posted Oct. 27, 2026, 3:49 a.m.: Monday night candlelight vigil; Austin Paradise, 12, killed a day earlier in an ATV accident in the 1300 block of Shaws Pond Road in Four Oaks; Johnston County Sheriff's Office responded; release called it a heartbreaking and unintentional tragedy and extended condolences to the family, loved ones, and community; family announced a Thursday funeral. Interview color and classmate remarks are not used here. Text-only; no ABC11 photos used.)

    Official sourcePublished by Johnston County Sheriff's Office, via ABC11 · Checked Oct 27, 2026, 10:08 AM

  2. Four Oaks Community Rallies Around Family Following Tragic Death Of 12-Year-Old Boy (JoCo Report, Oct. 26, 2026: Austin "AJ" Paradise, 12, died Sunday afternoon in an ATV accident in southern Johnston County; seventh-grade student at Four Oaks Middle School; candlelight vigil Monday, Oct. 26, 7:30 p.m., Barbour Grove Gazebo, downtown Four Oaks. Donation and funeral-home lines are not used here. Text-only; no JoCo Report photos used.)

    Published by JoCo Report · Checked Oct 27, 2026, 6:04 AM

  3. Johnston County Sheriff's Office contact page (2875 U.S. 70 Business East, Smithfield; mailing P.O. Box 1809, Smithfield, NC 27577; 919-989-5010; sheriffinfo@johnstonnc.gov). No written crash release was posted on this public site when checked Tuesday morning.

    Official sourcePublished by Johnston County Sheriff's Office · Checked Oct 27, 2026, 6:04 AM

  4. Rose & Graham Funeral Home obituaries index (fetched Oct. 27, 2026, morning and again late morning ET). No matching Austin Paradise listing was on the public index at those earlier checks.

    Published by Rose & Graham Funeral Home · Checked Oct 27, 2026, 10:08 AM

  5. Austin Jay Paradise obituary (Rose & Graham Funeral Home, Inc. - Benson, via Legacy.com, fetched Oct. 27, 2026, evening ET: age 12, of Four Oaks; died Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026; funeral 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026, at Rose and Graham Funeral Home, 301 W. Main Street, Benson; family to receive friends immediately following. Family names, church, and personal-detail lines are not used here. Text-only; no funeral-home photos used.)

    Published by Rose & Graham Funeral Home, via Legacy.com · Checked Oct 27, 2026, 8:00 PM

  6. 12-year-old boy killed in UTV rollover crash in Four Oaks (WRAL, staff, posted Oct. 27, 2026, 11:50 p.m.: Austin “AJ” Paradise; UTV on private property in the 1300 block of Shaws Pond Road in Four Oaks; vehicle rolled over; deputies located the overturned vehicle; sheriff's office condolences; Monday night vigil; funeral 2 p.m. Thursday at Rose and Graham Funeral Home in Benson. Text-only; no WRAL photos used.)

    Published by WRAL · Checked Oct 27, 2026, 8:00 PM

  7. Four Oaks community mourn the loss of a 12-year-old boy after UTV accident (CBS 17 / WNCN, Haylee Kennedy, posted Oct. 26, 2026, 10:56 p.m. ET, updated Oct. 27, 2026, 6:38 a.m.: AJ Paradise, 12; Johnston County Sheriff's Office; riding a UTV, a side-by-side utility vehicle, on private property along the 1300 block of Shaws Pond Road in Four Oaks; vehicle rolled over; Monday night vigil; Thursday funeral. Donation line and interview color are not used here. Text-only; no CBS 17 photos used.)

    Published by CBS 17 · Checked Oct 27, 2026, 10:08 AM

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