We’re learning more about the Maricopa man who died early Friday morning after crashing his car into a power pole in a rural Pinal County neighborhood. 

John Harvey Edwards, 25, was pronounced dead at the scene after his red Mini Cooper overturned near Warren and Roan Roads in Hidden Valley just before 3 a.m., according to the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office. 

A passerby reported the wreck moments after it occurred, and deputies arrived to find the vehicle on its side with Edwards unconscious inside. The Pinal County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled his death an accident, citing multiple blunt force injuries. 

John, who was born in Chandler and raised in Maricopa, had a deep love for the outdoors and worked manual labor jobs as a landscaper and fabricator.

“He was very outdoorsy. He loved riding dirt bikes,” said his father, Harley Edwards. “He was a struggling single father. He was trying to make a life for him and his son.” 

On social media, John shared glimpses of his life as a mechanic, posting videos of his car projects and drives through Phoenix streets. His Facebook page features smiling photos with a partner and images of an infant son. 

“He was my son and a father,” said his mother, Crystal Edwards. “He had a huge heart and was trying to make it in this world. It’s too hard to go on about him.” 

Harley Edwards said his son had been working to turn his life around. “He was the wild one. But he was getting his life back on track,” he said. “He was trying hard to get everything back in order.” 

John was about the end his probation from a 2024 drug case. He pleaded guilty to a reduced charge and was sentenced to probation in April. 

Despite his past, Harley Edwards said John was focused on his future. “He had classes to do and was trying to get his name on the birth certificate of his son. He had to do a DNA test for that,” he said.

The night of the crash, John had reportedly told friends he was tired but not intoxicated.  

“He wasn’t drunk or under the influence,” said Harley. “He left the house that night. He was just tired.” 

The family is still waiting on the final reports by the PCSO and the county coroner, although initial suspicions point to intoxication. 

“Evidence located at the scene was indicative of impairment,” PCSO spokesperson JD Fitzgerald told InMaricopa this afternoon. “The investigation is ongoing, pending the blood test results.”

A private funeral service is being held for family.