Drummer of metal band Voraath and three others killed by drunk driver in New Year’s Eve crash

Voraath drummer Joshua Nassaru Ward was one of three people who were killed by a drunk driver on New Year’s Eve.

The drummer of the metal group was killed in Greenville, South Carolina along with his fianceé Zelena and two other passengers as they were pulling out their Subaru SUV from a driveway. Their car was struck by a BMW that was being driven by Nicholas Shane Meeks.

The crash ended up sending Ward’s car off the road and into a tree which killed the drummer and his three passengers. The incident occurred on the night of December 31 around 9pm.

As reported by Greenville News, Meeks was driving with a suspended license after receiving DUI charges back in March 2024 for a separate incident. He was detained and charged with four counts of felony DUI and is being held without bond.

A GoFundMe has been made for Ward with the goal of $20,000 to help cover the cost of the musician’s funeral. At the time of writing, over $18,000 has been raised. “Josh dedicated his life to the music he created, the martial arts he practised and instilled into everyone who had the privilege of training with him, and last but not least his son, Kai,” read the caption.

It continued: “We are all devastated by this loss and were not prepared for the high cost of a funeral service. We want to give Josh the memorial he deserves, to honor his memory and say our last goodbyes.”

Voraath released their debut album ‘Volume 1: Hymn Of The Hunters’ back in June and celebrated the LP in a Facebook post on December 31, writing: “Not bad for our first album. We’ve placed in the top 40 on multiple platforms. A few top tens and even a top one. We’re really excited to bring our next album to life!”

That same day, Ward had shared a photo of him and his son on his personal Facebook page with the caption celebrating the New Year.