Architect killed when he ran over a thief in a robbery attempt was newly married and wanted children; 'There's going to be a giant chunk missing,' says sister

Jefferson Dias, 43, was driving by when he witnessed the assault on a woman and threw his car at the thief, who was on a motorcycle.

By Redação TV Globo and g1 SP - São Paulo

02/04/2025 09h27 Updated 6 minutes ago

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Architect killed when he ran over thief in attempted robbery in Butantã was a newlywed

The 43-year-old architect killed during an attempted robbery in Butantã, on São Paulo's West Side, had recently married and was planning to have children. Jefferson Dias was shot while trying to prevent a thief from escaping who, moments before, had stolen a woman's cell phone and wedding ring.

Very moved and teary-eyed, his sister Jaqueline Dias told TV Globo that the architect was very present and close to the family.

"He was a very good-hearted person. He helped everyone, the whole family, he was always there, always together," she said. She also regretted the interruption of her brother's dream of starting a family.

He had recently got married. So it was their wish to have a family and have children and, unfortunately, [that] was interrupted. He'll be missing every lunch here at home, he'll be missing texting. It's going to be awful, there's going to be a huge chunk missing.

- Jaqueline Dias, sister of the dead architect

His wake and burial will take place on Thursday (3) at the Parque dos Ypês Cemetery, in Itapecerica da Serra, in Greater São Paulo.

Architect tried to prevent robbery

Jefferson was driving with a friend along Rua Desembargador Armando Fairbanks when he witnessed the assault of a woman by a criminal on a motorcycle.

Security cameras recorded when the motorcyclist drove up on the sidewalk and slowed down when he returned to the street. At that moment, the architect threw his car at the motorcycle, hitting the thief.

The motorcyclist fell, but then got up, went towards Jefferson and fired the shots. The architect fell to the ground. His friend, who was in the back seat, managed to run. The criminal abandoned the motorcycle, which, according to the police, was stolen, and fled on foot.

The woman who was the victim of the robbery was not injured. A Samu team rescued the architect and took him to the University Hospital, but he couldn't resist his injuries.