BROOKLYN PARK — A vigil was held on Saturday night to remember the life of Anthony Hinton III, a defensive lineman at Shenandoah University who graduated from Glen Burnie High School. He died last week after crashing into a tree.
Friends from as far away as Pennsylvania traveled to Maryland to remember the 18-year-old.
“I met him when I was about 3 years old,” said Braxton Clarke, a former teammate and friend.
Family members and friends gathered at the site of the crash on Ritchie Highway in Brooklyn Park.
“My brother was a light … such a beautiful, beautiful light,” said Lynaie Hinton, Anthony’s sister.
Jayne Hinton, Anthony’s mother, said that her son Anthony was the baby in the family.
Around 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, Hinton was driving an Infiniti along Ritchie Highway in Brooklyn Park when he lost control of the vehicle, crossed the raised center median, and struck a tree, according to Anne Arundel County Police.
“I love you. Be safe and make good decisions. I always said that to him,” said Hinton’s mother.
Hinton was pronounced dead at the scene. A 17-year-old passenger was seriously injured and taken to the hospital.
“He was a good kid. Every parent wanted a kid like Anthony … that was my best friend and I’m going to miss him,” Anthony’s father said.
Hinton graduated from Glen Burnie High School and played defensive lineman for one season at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Va. His nickname was “Manman.”
“Manman was one of those people who really just left an impact on your heart,” Clarke said.
His family is committed to honoring his legacy.
“Everyone out here is going to keep his name alive no matter what,” said Madyson Hinton, Anthony’s sister.
Police have not released any additional details about the crash, which is being investigated by the traffic safety section.
Earlier this week, his father spoke of his grief with WJZ.
“I’m still looking for him to come home,” his father Anthony Hinton Jr. told WJZ.
Hinton said police informed him about his son’s death on Wednesday morning.
“That was my best friend, my best friend,” Hinton said. “It’s going to hurt me to not be able to see him again.”
Jayne Hinton said she was “trying to keep my faith in God.”
Hinton’s death was not the first tragedy in the family. The family’s oldest son Dante was found shot to death in a car in east Baltimore in 2023.
“It’s a struggle,” Jayne Hinton said. “It’s a test, but I stand strong. They say you’ve got to praise Him through the good and the bad, so I praise him through this bad.”
Those who knew Hinton said he touched many in the community.
“We are all still in shock here at Glen Burnie,” said Mike Rudd, the basketball coach at Glen Burnie High School, in an interview last week. “We are a very close community and Anthony was very special and already sorely missed.”
Hinton Jr. said that his son would not be forgotten.
“I lost him physically, but he still lives with me mentally and emotionally,” the father said. “I didn’t lose him, he just went with my father, her dad, my grandmother in Heaven, and his brother. He’s always going to be here.”
Alex Glaze of WJZ contributed to this report.
WJZ is a media partner of The Baltimore Banner.
