Reality TV Star Sean Garinger Dies Suddenly At 20

Sean Garinger, the young father who rose to modest fame after appearing on MTV’s “16 and Pregnant,” is dead following a horrific ATV accident, according to TMZ.

The 20-year-old father of one was reportedly pinned underneath his vehicle after attempting to switch parking spaces on his property in Boone, North Carolina. According to his mother, the ground – which has softened substantially from extended rainfall – gave beneath him, sending him tumbling down a hill. The ATV landed on his head, crushing his skull.

“I was with him when it happened. He was just moving [the ATV] from one parking spot to the next for me, so I could back into park,” Mary Hobbs told The Sun as she described making initial calls for help before her son passed away.

“He pulled [in] front of me to park the ATV and the ground gave way from all the rain and mud.

“There was a huge part of my heart that died with my son on Wednesday. He was my only son, my rock, my strength when I had none left,” she added.

The two had just gotten home from a car dealership when the freak accident occurred. The plan was to purchase a car so Garinger could travel to Colorado where his ex Selena Gutierrez lived with their two children, but that they  “never made it back to the dealership,” she said.

Garinger and Gutierrez, who appeared on the show with him, shared their story publicly on MTV while chronicling the hardships faced by new parents who were not yet adults themselves. The couple appeared alongside other young parents in the show’s sixth season, which garnered generally positive reviews from criticis for offering unsparing looks into the troubles of young men and women thrown unexpectedly into the nonstop world of parenting.

“We bonded over music, fast cars and shooting guns and taking new adventures,” Hobbs said.

“Sean brightened my world in a way no one else could ever come close to. He was my baby boy, my squishy, my heartbeat.”

‘16 and Pregnant’ alum Sean Garinger dead at 20 after ATV accident ‘crushed’ him https://t.co/h8cStECOWP pic.twitter.com/jwXgeqtGDh

— New York Post (@nypost) March 5, 2024

In a statement responding to the tragedy, the Watauga County Sheriff’s Office wrote, “Our hearts are heavy with sorrow for the loss experienced by the family and loved ones of the victim.”

Between 2020 and 2022, Garinger and Gutierrez welcomed daughters Dareli and Esmi to the world. Among the struggles they faced was Garinger cheating on his ex while she was pregnant with Dareli, their first. The row led Gutierrez, who was dating someone else at the time to be arrested for fighting with him in an argument.

An insider close to Gutierrez and her family said the young mother is “not in a good place” following the news of her kids’ father’s death.

“Sean got close to Selena’s family these past few months – his mom and Selena’s mom, and Sean and Selena’s brother Ricky,” the source shared.

“Sean visited Selena’s family literally a week before his death because he came to Colorado to visit his daughters.”