5 Teens Killed In Fiery Newport Beach Car Crash ID'd
NEWPORT BEACH (CBSLA.com) — Five Irvine teenagers who died in a fiery Memorial Day car crash in Newport Beach have been identified.
Orange County sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino said the victims were: Abdurlrahman M. Alyahyan, 17, a senior at University High School; Nozad Al Hamawendi, 16, a junior at Irvine High School; Cecilia Zamora, 17, a junior at Irvine High; and sisters Robin Cabrera, 17, and Aurora Cabrera, 16, both of Irvine High.
"There are no words to convey the sorrow felt by our staff and our students and our community, nor are there sufficient answers to explain the loss of these vibrant young teenagers from our schools and this community," said Terry Walker, the superintendent of the Irvine Unified School District.
Grief counselors will be on campus at various schools Thursday, Walker added.
Around 5:20 p.m. Monday, a Nissan driven by Alyahyan slammed into a tree and split in half at Jamboree Road and Island Lagoon Drive.
Four of the victims were ejected from the car, and another was burned, authorities said.
Four teens were pronounced dead at the scene, and the fifth was declared dead at Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo.
K'lynn Garcia, a friend of the Cabrera sisters, told KCAL9's Stacey Butler that the group was headed to the beach when the accident occurred, and she almost went along.
"I almost went. If my sister didn't tell me that she was coming over, I would have probably been in that car," she said.
Instead, Garcia said she left her friends a message. "(I said) I love them. And I will try to come to the beach."
Police believe excessive speed contributed to the crash.
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