Authorities have publicly disclosed the identities of the victims who died in a horrible crash in Santa Ana. The victims are mostly teenagers. Recently, the fifth victim who is on life support and has been declared brain dead.
Officers from the Santa Ana Police Department responded to reports of a violent single-vehicle crash on April 5 at around 11:30 p.m. near the intersection of West Segerstrom Avenue and South Townsend Street,. They discovered six people, one male and five females, in the car at the time of the collision.
According to preliminary investigations, the car’s driver, an 18-year-old male, was driving at high speeds on West Segerstrom when he missed a curve and collided with a tree.
The car was so severely damaged that firefighters had to use a ladder to get inside. Two victims were ejected from the vehicle as per reports.
Those killed in the crash include:
- 18-year-old driver Emanuel “Manny” Gonzalez Martinez;
- Aurelia “Arely” Robles, 20;
- Natalia Vidal Zarate, 17; and
- Jaqueline Torres Zarate, 16.
Family members and friends are grieving, with many paying their condolences at a growing monument at the scene.
The crash’s sole survivor, 15-year-old Arlene Robles, Aurelia’s younger sister, is in stable but serious condition, with her father informing reporters that she would have surgery for injuries.
It is reported that the group knew each other and are from Valley High and Carr Intermediate schools.
The juvenile and the sixth victim of the crash was on life support, and was hospitalised in “grave condition” following the crash. Officials reported that the victim had no brain activity as of Tuesday morning and was a Carr Intermediate student.
The identity of the sixth victim has not been officially revealed. It is reported that the victim is 13-year-old girl.
While officials initially thought that alcohol and/or drugs were a factor in the incident, Santa Ana Police Department Spokesperson Natalie Garcia reported that detectives have not proven this and that the investigation is ongoing.
