‘Life is not fair’: Agonising message from best friend of Constable Mia Lay after she died in crash in car travelling at 150km/h

DAILYMAIL • 2h ago

By MAISY RAE – NEWS REPORTER 01:12 01 Oct 2026, updated 01:32 01 Oct 2026

The best friend of Constable Mia Lay, who died last week when her police patrol car smashed at high speed into a tree in Sydney, has declared ‘life isn’t fair’, while sharing a heartbreaking tribute to her.

Constable Lay, 20, died after the police vehicle she was travelling in struck a tree in Redfern at about 1.30am on Friday.

She was travelling with Constable Brandon Torrisi, 24, who was behind the wheel of the Volkswagen Tiguan, after they received an urgent report of a stolen car in Glebe.

In an emotional Instagram post on Wednesday afternoon, Constable Lay’s best friend, Elka Summer, said she’d ‘cherish every single day’ in memory of her.

‘Beautiful, beautiful Mia, how much fun we’ve had together,’ Ms Summer wrote.

‘Last May I watched you threw your cap into air as you graduated from the police academy and began a new chapter, which I believe was just the beginning of you truly falling in love with life.

‘You were courageous and you were passionate, and there is an unfillable void left by the amazing woman you were.

‘I will hold on to our beautiful memories tightly… I love you. Life is not fair.’

Ms Summer then shared a carousel of pictures of the pair, showing them celebrating Constable Lay’s attestation ceremony in 2025, holidaying at the beach, having fun with friends, and spending time together during high school.

Her post came a day after Constable Lay’s father, Clem Lay, said his daughter had been considering joining the NSW Police Force’s Dog Squad to follow in the footsteps of her aunt, a serving senior officer.

When they last spoke about her career, he said Constable Lay had been enjoying her time in the force, where she’d met the ‘love of her life’, Dan Vasquez, an officer stationed in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

‘She’s always been a sporty child, blessed with athletic ability. She’s always happy all the time, full of life,’ Mr Lay said.

‘She was very strong-willed. Like last week, she came over and was very strong-headed, asking me to paint my son’s room.

‘I just did it the day before. I was going to call her, tell her to come over and have a look, “I’ve done it finally”… and then the next morning, the police officer was at my door giving me the sad news.

‘It still hasn’t hit home, to tell you the truth. We’re all trying to come to terms with everything that’s happened.’

He also said he hoped no one would be found ‘at fault’ for the crash.

‘If the investigation is done correctly and in detail, that’s all I could ever ask,’ he told 9News.

‘I don’t know what to say about that speed. I just looked at pictures of the car and the shape of the car and thought, yeah, that makes sense.’

Mr Lay’s comments come after multiple police sources said the car was travelling at more than 150km/h when it hit a tree on Gibbons Street, killing the constable instantly.

As crash investigators attempt to piece together the cause of the collision, police have not ruled out charging Torrisi if he is found to have been speeding unnecessarily.

The NSW Police watchdog said it would monitor the force’s investigation into the crash to ‘ensure public confidence’.

A fundraiser set up in memory of Constable Lay has raised more than $28,000 for her family, with the money to be used to provide ongoing support for Mia’s siblings.

‘Most importantly, it will give Mia’s family the space to care for one another, to be there for each other and to grieve without the added stress of financial pressures or disrupted income,’ the organisers, who are friends of Constable Lay’s brother, wrote.

‘The Lay family are deeply loved by so many in our community. This is just one small way of showing them that we are here for them, now and in the months ahead, and that Mia will forever live on in our hearts.’

– READ MORE: The final shift of Constable Mia Lay: Patrol car was travelling over ‘150km/h’ before fatal crash

– READ MORE: Heartbroken dad of Constable Mia Lay sends message to driver as dramatic CCTV shows police car hurtling down Sydney street

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