What happened to McSkillet? CSGO skins YouTuber’s death in tragic crash explained

The death of YouTuber Trevor ‘McSkillet’ Hietmann came as a shock for his fans in 2018, and went down as one of the most devastating incidents in YouTube history – but how did he die?

On August 23, 2018, McSkillet, 18 years old, drove his McLaren 650S into oncoming traffic at high speed, killing himself as well as the driver and passenger of another vehicle – a mother and her 12-year-old daughter.

McSkillet had over 800,000 YouTube subscribers at the time of his death, and was the most popular creator focused on Counter-Strike skins. The incident came as a total shock to his fans and the wider CS:GO community.

Now, five years on from the tragic day, there are still many who are shocked to learn the story of McSkillet.

Who was McSkillet?

Trevor Hietmann was a YouTuber from San Diego, who gained popularity for his videos about CS:GO skins, cases, trade-ups, and the game’s in-game economy generally. When CS:GO skins hit a peak of popularity in 2016, McSkillet saw his channel boom.

He began taking CS:GO skin gambling sponsorships frequently in 2017, which were lucrative and earned him likely much more than his YouTube content did on its own. He also launched three different skins trading and gambling websites of his own, still at only 17 years old.

However, these lucrative ventures all but collapsed in early 2018, when Valve banned many gambling bot accounts, as well as McSkillet’s personal inventory. After this, he went quiet on social media and did not post any more videos. Many have speculated that the ban on his account and gambling bots directly contributed to the actions he took next.

How did he die?

On August 23, 2018, McSkillet drove his car, a McLaren 650s, to his old school, crashing into the gates. He then continued to the busy I-805 highway in San Diego, driving at speeds over 100mph on the wrong side of the road.

He collided head-on with a Hyundai SUV, driven by 43-year-old Aileen Pizarro. In the passenger seat was her 12-year-old daughter, Aryana. Both were killed in the crash.

Footage of the crash shows McSkillet did not attempt to swerve before the collision. However, his death was ruled accidental by officials.

Backlash and autopsy following crash

As news spread of the accident, and the CS:GO community learned it was McSkillet, there was widespread condemnation of his actions. Many believed he had reacted out of anger over the Steam bans, and as a result of his anger, took the lives of two innocent people.

However, his parents revealed later that Heitmann had been suffering a manic episode in the days and weeks before his death. He had apparently told them he was having a ‘meltdown,’ and his father phoned police to request a psychiatric evaluation. But, the police refused as no crime had been committed.

On the day of the crash, McSkillet apparently cried and said he was having a “breakdown,” and slept for four hours during the day. When he left, he rammed his father’s vehicle which had been blocking his own, to leave the property.

A family friend and a psychiatrist, pleaded with police to detain him due to his erratic behavior, stating he was a risk to himself and the public.

San Diego made to pay millions to victims’ family

In August 2019, it was revealed that the family of Aileen and Aryana Pizarro were suing McSkillet’s estate, as well as the City of San Diego and the County of San Diego.

The lawsuit states that San Diego Police failed to apprehend Heitmann after he was examined by the psychiatrist, and gave the warning about his mental state.

Officers responded to Heitmann’s family’s Carmel Valley home shortly before the crash but did not evaluate Heitmann or speak with him, according to the lawsuit.

In January 2024, the city of San Diego agreed to pay $6.125 million to the Pizarro family. The settlement included $4.25 million to Miguel Angel Pizarro et al. (Miguel is Aileen’s father), and $1.875 million to her son, Angelo Pizarro.