The Crash – Review | Netflix Documentary (3/5)

THE CRASH on Netflix is a true crime documentary about a car crash that killed two passengers, but not the driver. The big question of “Why?” is the cornerstone of this documentary, which seeks to get to the bottom of the events leading up to the tragedy. Read our full The Crash documentary review here!

THE CRASH is a Netflix true crime documentary, which may sound like it’s about an accident. However, the true crime element (and the pure horror) is very much the key to this story. Mostly, whether this was intentional and not an accident, which is why a crash turns into a possible murder case.

With a runtime of 92 minutes, this is a fairly fast-paced documentary. It tries to help us understand why the young girl driving the car would possibly crash it. Needless to say, what originally looked like an accident becomes a very different story when it appears that it was no accident at all.

Continue reading our The Crash documentary review below. Find it on Netflix now.

3 people in the crash, 1 survivor

The Crash refers to the event where a car with three young adults inside slams into a brick building at 100 miles per hour. This crash takes place in Strongsville, Ohio, and results in two lives lost and one sole survivor.

The survivor of the accident is the driver. At the time, she was a 17-year-old teenager, driving her boyfriend, Dom, and his friend, Davion, home from a party. This was when the fatal crash happened, and detectives were soon shocked to notice that there were no signs of the driver, Mackenzie Shirilla, ever trying to brake.

What was her intention?

How did she come up with such a plan?

And why would she ever get to a point where she thought this was the best action?

A calculated criminal or a desperate act?

Undoubtedly, many viewers of the 2026 Netflix true crime documentary The Crash will see Mackenzie Shirilla as either a calculated criminal or a victim in her own right. The same goes for those who knew her and the victims. Not least, the family members of the two young men who died.

I can’t tell you what to think or what I feel. This documentary gives us some information, but obviously, we don’t know everything.

What The Crash attempts to do is take a deep dive into the volatile relationship at the center. Of course, many relationships (of any kind) are full of extreme emotions when you’re a teenager. As such, it’s always difficult to even understand how they, as teenagers, experience the events themselves.

How is the case covered by the Netflix documentary?

This true crime documentary is made up of police bodycam footage, lots of social media posts (including snippets of TikTok “experts” talking about the case), and interviews with friends and family of all three people, who were in the car.

And yes, we also hear from Mackenzie Shirilla, who is interviewed for this Netflix documentary.

Finally, law enforcement also wants and needs to get to the bottom of this. Obviously, they have clearly made up their minds early on. When someone says “I think that’s what happened” rather than “we can prove” or “the evidence shows”? Yeah, I’m feeling a little iffy about it all.

Regardless of teen hormones and intentions, the result is that the crash appeared so intentional that it was soon viewed as cold and calculated murder. How will you view it after watching this documentary on Netflix?

Watch the 2026 The Crash documentary on Netflix now

The director of The Crash true crime documentary is Gareth Johnson. He is a filmmaker who has already worked extensively with both the documentary and true crime genres. Of course, these two genres are often part of the same hybrid genre, but Gareth Johnson has also worked on a few Bear Grylls productions.

This 2026 Netflix true crime production is executive-produced by Rebecca North (American Nightmare, Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare) and Jonny Taylor (Lover Stalker Killer, What Jennifer Did, Vatican Girl). Also, Angharad Scott (Beanie Mania, Reframed: Marilyn Monroe) is a producer.

Any crash that leaves two passengers dead and the sole survivor a suspect is bound to make everyone curious. With only Mackenzie Shirilla, the driver and suspect, alive, we’re left to fill a lot of gaps from other sources. What really happened, and why, is covered as well as possible here, but the truth remains elusive.

The Crash (2026) is out on Netflix worldwide from May 15, 2026.