Elias Giangrande: Son of former HarperCollins executive dies in a car crash along with his friend in Thailand

KOH PHA NGAN, THAILAND: Elias Giangrande, the 28-year-old son of former HarperCollins vice president Gregory Giangrande and his friend Jack Niehaus, 25, tragically lost their lives in a horrific head-on collision in Thailand.

The accident occurred as they were returning from the renowned Full Moon Party on April 24. Elias' friends said they were allegedly intoxicated and speeding without helmets before colliding with a taxi. 

Gregory Giangrande flew to Thailand after learning about Elias Giangrande'a accident 

The accident happened on a poorly-lit road on Koh Pha Ngan island. The Full Moon Party, a monthly event, had taken place the previous day on April 23, reports stated.

Gregory Giangrande, who is also a columnist for the New York Post, immediately flew to Thailand upon hearing the news of the crash. Elias, a passionate scuba diver, managed a luxury yachting company in Miami, according to reports.

According to a Daily Mail report, superintendent of the Koh Pha Ngan police station Colonel Panya Niratimanon said officers inspected the scene and found a Toyota pickup truck, converted into a passenger vehicle, with a shattered windshield and a damaged hood.

The Yamaha Aerox motorbike that Elias and Jack were riding was a mangled heap nearby and their bodies were sprawled on the ground.

Elias Giangrande and Jack Niehaus were both shirtless and pronounced dead at the scene 

Niratimanon, as per the publication, said that both the victims were shirtless and pronounced dead at the scene.

The taxi driver, Supachai Lertsak, 44, was waiting for authorities when they arrived. Lieutenant Suteep Chadakan, Deputy Inspector General of the Koh Phangan Police Station, stated that he was still awaiting blood alcohol test results from the hospital.

“We believe they were [drunk] because they were returning back home from the Full Moon Party,” he said. The songthaew driver, however, was not intoxicated, they found.

Elias, a boating enthusiast with a USCG 200-Ton Masters qualification, was also a scuba and Zapata Racing Team Flyboard instructor.

His most recent Instagram post, uploaded just a week ago, showed him and his model girlfriend Brielle Middleton in various sunny locations with the location tagged: ‘Everywhere.’

"My travel buddy ❤️👫 and a photo of patrick," he captioned the photo.

Gregory Giangrande is currently the Global Chief People and Communications Officer of Ellucian, a private Education Tech company, as per LinkedIn.

Giangrande is a career advice writer for the New York Post and is known for his widely-recognized GoToGreg column, as per the publication.

He is a weekly on-air contributor for IHeart Radio WOR 710 talk show with Len Berman and Michael Reidel and a frequent television on-air contributor for Good Day NY on Fox5 News.

Gregory was formerly the senior vice president and chief human resources officer for HarperCollins Publishers.

Jack Niehaus was a wealth management associate at UBS bank and had previously worked as a client service associate for investment company Morgan Stanley.