‘Positive, bright soul’: Friend speaks out after Chesterfield 18-year-old dies in motorcycle crash

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Orion Solomon, an 18-year-old Monacan High graduate and motorcyclist, is dead after a two-vehicle crash in Chesterfield County on Tuesday.

“At first I didn’t believe it,” said Jason Williams, Solomon’s close friend Jason Williams, sharing how he heard the news while he was at school. “For the rest of the day, I was kind of, like, expressionless.”

At about 8:46 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 27, officers with the Chesterfield County Police Department responded to the 800 block of N Courthouse Road for the report of a two-vehicle crash involving a motorcycle.

Officers arrived to find Solomon dead in the roadway, with the other involved driver suffering non-life-threatening injuries.

Solomon was a 2024 graduate of Monacan High School, where he was on the volleyball team and played trumpet in the marching band.

Now, the community grieves the loss of one of their own, who was described as a “very positive, bright soul.”

“He inspired others through music because of his passion for it,” Williams said. “He was always there for people.”

Williams said he met Solomon in the marching band more than a year ago.

“We both really liked music … and we both liked motorcycles,” Williams said, as his smile left his face.

Information on how the crash happened has not been released by Chesterfield County Police yet, so it is unclear what caused it.

“It’s gonna be different,” Williams said of what life will be like without Solomon.

Police continue to investigate this crash. If you have any information, you are asked to contact the Chesterfield County Police Department at 804-748-1251.

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