Emily Gold, teen dancer on ‘America’s Got Talent,’ dead at 17

A young woman was found dead on State Route 210 in Rancho Cucamonga, California, on Friday, Officer Rodrigo Jiménez of the California Highway Patrol confirmed to USA TODAY in a press release Monday. CHP officers were called to respond to a report of a “pedestrian down in lanes.”

“A 17-year-old female of Rancho Cucamonga was struck by at least one vehicle within the high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane of eastbound SR-210 freeway,” the release states. “The female succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene.”

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San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Department spokesperson Mara Rodriguez confirmed Gold’s identity to USA TODAY in an email. Her death is being treated as suicide.

Additional details on Gold’s death are being investigated by CHP. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Officer S. Gonzalez at (909)-980-3449.

USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for “America’s Got Talent” for comment.

Emily Gold wows on ‘America’s Got Talent’ with dance troupe

Gold competed on Season 19 of “AGT” as a member of the Los Osos High School dance troupe. The group made a splash during the audition round with a lively routine set to the Usher hits “OMG” and “Yeah!”

While they received mixed reactions from the judges, Simon Cowell praised the dancers’ performance as “absolutely brilliant.”

The Los Osos troupe advanced to the “AGT” quarterfinals. While the group was ultimately eliminated, Cowell gave the group props for stepping up its act.

“I don’t know anything about dance,” Cowell said. “However, that to me was an event.”

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A GoFundMe page has been set up in Gold’s honor to assist the dancer’s family with expenses. As of publication, the online fundraiser has collected over $27,000.