3 victims ID'd, including 2 teen siblings, after vehicle erupts in flames in deadly East LA crash
EAST LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Three people who were killed in a fiery solo-vehicle crash in East Los Angeles early Friday morning, including two teenage siblings, have been identified by family members and friends.
According to loved ones, the passengers were Abigail Flores, a 19-year-old mother of two, and her younger brother, 18-year-old Jahmai Flores. The driver was identified as Julian Mendez, 21.
The crash happened near Herbert Avenue and Olympic Boulevard about 12:30 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol. Authorities say the driver collided into a tree, causing the car to erupt in flames with all three people trapped inside.
A truck driver who was in the area saw the car and used a fire extinguisher to put out the flames.
All three victims were pronounced dead at the scene.
News video from the scene showed nearly a dozen firefighters working to remove the bodies from the vehicles mangled, smoking wreckage.
Friends say the siblings and the driver were friends and they were just hanging out.
The Flores family says both siblings went through a rough time and were turning their lives around.
"They were both very happy people, always making other people laugh," said Alyssa Salinas, Jahmai's girlfriend. "It's just crazy someone you know, and the next day they could be gone."
Abigail and Jahmai were in the process of getting their high school diploma and had big dreams.
"They were both great kids. A little wild, but great and lovable kids," the siblings' aunt Sylvia Flores said. "They were known pretty much everywhere because of their sense of humor and their great spirit."
"All we can do is be there for the kids and show them the memories we have of them," Salinas said.
The cause of the crash was under investigation.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the siblings' family with funeral expenses.
