An Ohio officer's Facebook message to an 18-year-old he clocked going 100 mph on a highway is gaining speed on social media.
In an open letter posted on the North Ridgeville Police Department's Facebook page, an officer wrote in a message intended for the teen that their reckless driving could have killed them or "some innocent person who was minding their own business doing nothing else wrong but being in front of you."
"I’d like to believe that you were minutes away from creating an unspeakable Christmas tragedy when I stopped you," the post read.
According to a photo of the ticket accompanying the open letter, the teen was traveling 100 mph in a 65 mph zone in the city of North Ridgeville.
The officer went on to write that they have witnessed dozens of car crashes related to speeding that left other teenagers dead or with "broken" bodies.
"They thought they were invincible too. They weren’t," the officer posted. "They were gone so they missed the part where I had to tell their parents that they were dead. Part of your soul disappears every time you have to tell parents that their kid is dead."
The letter, posted Sunday morning, has been shared more than 61,000 times on Facebook. Many of the comments thanked the officer for the warning.
“There are so many who feel the same way,” Facebook user Ann Lamm posted.
“I wish someone had told this to the young man who killed my daughter 3 1/2 yrs ago. She was only 19 and had her whole life ahead of her,” user Shannon Stinton posted.
The officer ended the lengthy post by telling the teen they hope the ticket is a constant reminder for them to be safe on the road.
“I hope you slow down. I hope that when your mom tells you to ‘drive safe’ you make a promise to her, and yourself, that you will," the post read. "I hope you can envision me sitting in your kitchen telling your screaming mother that you have been killed. Slow down. Please. You are not invincible. I promise.”
Police captain Marti Garrow declined to release the name of the officer who wrote the post, telling NBC Chicago: "It's not about the person. It's about the police department."