Four Killed in Fiery Northridge Crash; Link to Street Racing Possible
Four young people were killed in Northridge during the late night hours of October 6, when their silver BMV smashed into a tree after veering into oncoming traffic lanes and crashing into a light pole. Police believe that the high-speed crash may have been a result of street racing, according to early reports.
All four died instantly due to the force of the collision, which was so severe the car’s engine was knocked out of the car. The car broke into pieces and burst into flames.
Young lives tragically taken in L.A. car crash
Dead were Martin Gomez, the driver, and three passengers, Denney Lomeli, Leena Ammari, and Amanda Alfar. They were all in their early 20s and lived in the Los Angeles area.
The trajectory of the accident indicated that Mr. Gomez had lost control of the vehicle.
The four were said by family members to have been out at a birthday party.
Ms. Alfar was a student at California State University Northridge, planning to be a lawyer. She spent her early years in Jordan, after being born in Los Angeles.
Other driver sought by police
A dark vehicle was seen on camera driving next to the BMV. Police posted the video of the dark car and the crash on Twitter, asking for anyone with information about the driver to get in touch with them.
The vehicle didn’t stop at the crash, and sped down Balboa Boulevard.
In 2014, the Los Angeles Police Department’s Valley Traffic Division formed a unit intended to stop street racing, which has become increasingly hard to curtail in the age of social media.
While street racing has long been part of southern California culture, police believe that the ability of racing aficionados to meet at locations determined by social media has made their ability to crack street racing’s social scene harder, and thus efforts at law enforcement harder.
Officials pointed out that drivers who race generally know each other, so they were hopeful that someone will come forward with more information on the driver.
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Additional Resources:
- Mai-Duc, Christine. “Street Racing May Be Involved in Crash That Killed Four in Northridge, Authorities Say.” Los Angeles Times, October 7, 2017. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-ln-northridge-crash-20171007-htmlstory.html
- Mejia, Brittny and Hailey Branson-Potts. “LAPD Trying to Put the Brakes on Illegal Street Racing.” Los Angeles Times. May 10, 2015, http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-racing-20150511-story.html.