Sam Abreu haunted by crash that killed his sons Xavier and Peter

Sam Abreu cannot leave his house without being confronted by the crash site where his two ‘cheeky monkeys’, Xavier and Peter, died. ‘I’ve got to drive past that site and have the memory of my kids being killed there,’ he says.

Sam Abreu cannot leave his house without being reminded of his dead children.

The Monterey father is haunted by memories of his two “cheeky monkeys”, 9 and 10-year-old Peter and Xavier Abreu, killed last week in a horrific high-speed car crash just metres from his home.

“He drove past our house. I have to live with that. I’ve got to drive past that site and have the memory of my kids being killed there,” Mr Abreu said.

Mr Abreu and his partner Jivonne, the boys’ stepmother, heard the sirens. They saw the flashing lights, fracturing the dark peace of their loungeroom.

“I was actually making coffee and I saw three cop cars go past blaring and flying. I thought ‘Oh, there must be something going on’,” Ms Garrido said.

They never imagined that inside those ambulances were their two kids.

Or that just a few hours later, they would need to identify the boys in a hospital morgue.

Xavier Abreu was just 10 when he was killed in the crash.

Peter Abreu was only nine. Pictures: Supplied

One week after the tragic deaths, they have been left to pick up the pieces.

Reminders of their boys, who lived with their biological mother but visited often, are all around. Their absence fills the small room, swallowing the devastated couple.

Their pain is palpable.

“I was in the process of setting up a spare room here and putting beds there to start having the kids coming over to stay on the weekend,” says Mr Abreu, his voice hollow.

He planned to fill it with all the boys’ favourite toys, and looked forward to days spent lazing on the beach and riding bikes.

Instead, he is planning their funeral.

Flower and soft toy tributes at the scene of the crash. Picture: Damian Shaw

Peter and Xavier were killed instantly on August 25, after their car, driven by their maternal cousin Jimmy Britto, allegedly cut across the road, flipping and smashing into a tree.

The force of the collision was so strong the front bumper of the car twisted in on itself like a pretzel. Residents say the sound of the hitting tree made their windows shake.

The engine was found several metres from the scene of the accident.

Also in the car was a young girl. She escaped with minor injuries.

Mr Britto was charged with two counts of dangerous driving causing death and one count of causing bodily harm by misconduct.

He remains before the courts.

In the days since the crash, 33-year-old Britto has reportedly received support from his immediate relatives, including the deceased boys’ biological mother.

Mr Abreu and Ms Garrido want to make it clear they do not feel the same way. It‘s a step Mr Abreu and Ms Garrido cannot take.

“The damage is done. I don‘t understand it. It’s senseless,” he said.

Xavier (l) and Peter on a family trip to the aquarium.

Neither know exactly why the boys were in the car at the time, but know both children loved going on drives with their older cousin.

“They loved cars.”

For a moment, Mr Abreu’s eyes light up, as he remembers the boys’ matchbox cars and the paintings his children would proudly show him.

“They adored Lego. Peter had a box full of his favourite toys. There’s Lego in there that I need to build. I am going to put it in his coffin,” he said.

Both have been overwhelmed by the community’s support. A thick blanket of flowers, teddy bears and handwritten letters envelop the tree, hiding the metal embedded deep in the trunk.

“We want to thank everyone. Those people who ran over to the car, who ran across the road [to the accident.] The hospital who worked on the kids. They tried to do all they could to bring them back. It was too late … but they didn’t give up on the boys.

“Someone left a coloured seashell, I am going to put in the boys’ coffin.”

They also are immensely grateful for the GoFundMe support, which will go towards the boys’ funerals.

“You plan and save for a holiday. You don’t plan for a funeral,” said Ms Garrido.

Mr Abreu is struggling to cope with his boys.

As they speak, a blue Subaru WRX, the same model of car the boys died in, comes roaring past The Grand Pde road. Goosebumps cover Mr Abreu’s arms.

The 5km, pin-straight stretch, set against a backdrop of blue water, has long been a siren for drag racers.

Since 2018 there has been eight crashes involving speeding, which resulted in one serious injury and no fatalities, according to Transport for NSW.

A community action group set up by residents has been calling for change for years.

Bayside councillor Heidi Lee Douglas has been a fierce advocate for road safety and has been petitioning the government to implement speed cameras.

“We’ve been trying to prevent this, I don’t want any more fatalities,” she said.

“Even in the few days after the accident, there was an increase in hooning in the area. I live here, I could hear it. It was almost like rubbing salt in the wound.”

In 2020, Transport for NSW rejected calls to implement speed cameras on the road, due to a “lack of serious injuries and fatalities”.

In response to the accident, TfNSW is conducting a detailed review to determine whether a fixed or red-light speed camera may also be appropriate on The Grand Pde.

In his small Monterey apartment, Mr Abreu looks out onto the speeding road.

“I loved my kids …” These are the words of a broken man, forced to learn to refer to his children in the past tense.

“Who’d ever think I would have to bury my own kids?”

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