after a crash<\/a> along State Road 26 in Melrose, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.<\/p>\nHis death has left a family of firefighters grieving, while also reflecting on the legacy he carried forward.<\/p>\n
Colton Tibbetts grew up surrounded by the fire service.<\/p>\n
His uncle, Jason Tibbetts, who has served as a firefighter for 21 years, said becoming a firefighter felt natural for Colton after watching generations of his family wear the uniform.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know when he decided to become a firefighter, my brother was very proud of him for that, and I was too,\u201d Jason Tibbetts said. \u201cI mean, the whole family was.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to his uncle, Colton was a fourth-generation firefighter, continuing a legacy that stretches back decades.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt started all the way back to my great-grandfather,\u201d Jason said. \u201cMy father was a firefighter, along with his brother, and then myself and my brother Brian \u2014 we’re firefighters. We have cousins who are firefighters. It just goes on and on.\u201d<\/p>\n
As a child, Colton often visited fire stations and played with toy helmets, early signs of what would become his future career.<\/p>\n
Tibbetts joined the Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department in July 2022.<\/p>\n
Just months before his passing, he reached a major milestone, earning a promotion to rescue engineer in November.<\/p>\n
His uncle said the promotion held special meaning because he shares the same role.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe got his paramedic certification, and then he became an engineer, which was kind of near to my heart because I’m an engineer up here,\u201d Jason said in a Zoom call from Indiana. \u201cI was just so proud of him for being able to accomplish that at such a young age. All he could do was go up from where he was at.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before joining JFRD, Tibbetts also volunteered with Putnam County Fire Rescue, serving the same Melrose community where he would later lose his life.<\/p>\n
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the crash happened around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday on State Road 26 in Melrose.<\/p>\n
Troopers said Tibbetts was driving home from Gainesville when his vehicle struck a road sign and multiple trees. The car overturned and caught fire on the shoulder of the road. He was pronounced dead at the scene.<\/p>\n
When Jason learned what happened, he said the news didn\u2019t feel real.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was shocked,\u201d he said. \u201cFor a second, I thought it was an April Fool\u2019s joke. And I’m like, it’s not April yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although distance separated them, with most of the family living in Indiana, Jason said he cherished the moments he had with his nephew.<\/p>\n
Some of his favorite memories include attending Colton\u2019s Little League games and traveling to Florida to watch him graduate from the fire academy.<\/p>\n
During that ceremony, Colton\u2019s father pinned his badge, continuing a tradition that spanned generations.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy brother pinned the badge on Colton, and it brought back memories of my father putting my badge on me when I graduated,\u201d Jason Tibbetts said.<\/p>\n
Colton also leaves behind a younger brother, Austin, who serves in the Air Force, continuing the family’s tradition of service.<\/p>\n
Jason said his nephew was known for his personality and determination.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was a great kid, very well-mannered, very motivated, very respectful,\u201d he said. \u201cHe was just taken away too soon.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jason said the loss has been especially difficult for the family, which is still grieving the death of Colton\u2019s grandfather just over a year ago.<\/p>\n
Colton had been very close with him, and becoming a firefighter made his grandfather proud, his uncle said.<\/p>\n
Now, the family is leaning on each other and the community for support.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey’re holding up as best they can,\u201d Jason said of Colton\u2019s parents. \u201cUnder the circumstances, he’s doing the best that he can.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jason said he hopes people remember his nephew for the dedication he showed to helping others.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I look at the outreach from people down there, just how much dedication he had to his job, that’s how I want him remembered,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Funeral arrangements for Colton Tibbetts have not yet been announced.<\/p>\n
JFRDe officials say details will be shared once they are finalized.<\/p>\n
His family says they are grateful for the support they\u2019ve received and for the many prayers sent their way during this difficult time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"23-year-old firefighter Colton Tibbetts, who was killed in a crash in Melrose, continued a four-generation legacy of service.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":207712,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[116,118,117],"class_list":["post-207711","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville-headlines","tag-jacksonville-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207711","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=207711"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207711\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/207712"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=207711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=207711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=207711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}