An car crash occurred early Saturday morning in Irvine California, on the southbound 5 Freeway while five teens were returning home from Knott’s Scary Farm, Orange County fire officials said. The fiery crash resulted in the death of all five teenage passengers and the bodies were badly burned, making it difficult to have them identified. But the Mission Viejo Soccer Club believes the teenage boys were members of their team.
In a related report by The Inquisitr , a great white shark attack closed a popular California beach this week.
About 2:15 a.m. firefighters received a call about the Irvine car crash. When they arrived they found a 1995 BMW sedan resting on top of a 20-foot barrier on the side of the freeway. The car accident had also ignited a quarter acre brush fire that needed to be put out. All five passengers, including three teenage boys and two teenage girls, were killed.
“This is one of the worst accidents a number of both CHP officers and firefighters have witnessed. To have five fatalities in one vehicle was extremely tragic today,” Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve Concialdai said according to ABC .
The sixth occupant of the vehicle was apparently the driver. The 16-year-old boy was either ejected during the car crash or managed to escape the fiery blaze. Authorities took the teen to Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo with a head injury. Police also say the driver had a restricted drivers license and should not have been driving between the hours of 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. based upon California law. The boy told responding paramedics the group was returning home from Knott’s Scary Farm that night.
It is currently unknown what caused the Irvine car crash although the California Highway patrol speculates that speed may have been a factor since the BMW left the freeway and crashed into an embankment. They also note the passengers were not wearing seat belts and there was no indication of drugs or alcohol.
According to the Los Angeles Times , coach Billy McNicol of Mission Viejo Soccer Club at least three of the victims can be identified as Alex Sotelo, Matthew Melo and Brandon Moreno. Alex and Matthew were ninth-graders at Capistrano Valley High School in Mission Viejo, and Brandon was in eighth grade at Carl Hankey Middle School in Mission Viejo. Authorities have yet to identify the two female victims or the driver of the vehicle.
