Steve Shirilla, an art and digital media teacher, defended his daughter in ‘The Crash’, which was released on Friday, May 15

The father of Mackenzie Shirilla has been placed on administrative leave following the release of the Netflix documentary The Crash last week.

19 News and WKYC reported that Steve Shirilla was removed from his position as an art and digital media teacher at Mary Queen of Peace School in Cleveland. The removal followed comments he made about his daughter in the film.

The school, which includes grades Pre-K to eighth, according to its website, emailed parents to let them know that a teacher had been placed on administrative leave following allegations of “poor judgment,” 19 News reported.

Mary Queen of Peace School in Cleveland

Mary Queen of Peace School.

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“We want every parent and family to know that the safety, wellbeing, and trust of our students remain among our highest priorities,” the email stated, adding, “We take all student concerns seriously and are committed to responding promptly and responsibly whenever concerns are brought forward.”

PEOPLE reached out to Mary Queen of Peace School for comment, but they did not immediately respond.

On July 31, 2022, Mackenzie, who was 17 at the time, drove her car into a brick wall in Strongsville, Ohio, at almost 100 miles an hour. Her boyfriend, 20-year-old Dominic Russo, and their friend, 19-year-old Davion Flanagan, both died.

Though initially believed to be an accident, investigators began to suspect that Mackenzie deliberately accelerated. She was arrested in November 2022 and charged with two counts each of murder and aggravated vehicular assault, as well as a number of other counts.

In August 2023, she was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 15 years, ultimately receiving two life terms to be served concurrently. Her legal team then filed two appeals, one in September 2023 and one in April 2025, but both were denied.

Speaking in The Crash, which was released on Friday, May 15, Steve discussed Mackenzie’s use of cannabis and defended her innocence.

“I don’t have a problem with her smoking dope,” he said. “If you’re going to smoke a drug, that’s the one I believe you should take.”

Steve Shirilla

Steve Shirilla in ‘The Crash’.NETFLIX

Also in the documentary, he and his wife, Natalie Shirilla, defended their daughter over accusations from other students that she bullied peers, allegedly telling one classmate to end their life. The documentary additionally cited school records showing that Mackenzie had been disciplined for bullying.

Steve was also criticized for his choice of apparel for his documentary appearance. For filming, he wore a shirt with “BOOM” written on it, which some viewers described as insensitive given the crash.

Steve confirmed to 19 News that the school placed him on leave amid an investigation. He added that he was upset with the editing of the documentary, but reiterated that he believes his daughter is innocent.

A parent told the outlet that the students liked and respected Steve as a teacher and defended the school from criticism, explaining that nobody could have known what was going to happen.

“No amount of background checks on Mr. Shirilla will show something that his daughter will do two years after he is hired,” they said. “As a parent of a student who attends there, it is not fair for our school, staff, children or families to receive hate and threats because of third-hand actions… There is no reason to be threatening an elementary school.”