Funeral held for 2 of 5 teens killed in Irvine crash

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. (KABC) -- Two of the five teenagers killed in a fiery crash on the 5 Freeway in Irvine earlier this month were laid to rest on Friday.

More than 800 people came together to mourn the loss of Brandon Moreno and Alex Sotelo. Both were just 14 years old.

"I'm holding it in there and trying not to cry," Sotelo's cousin Jossue Delgado said. "Just (trying) to be happy and that we know he's in a better place now."

Delgado said he's focusing on the positive memories to get through the day.

"Alex was a big part of our family because he was the funny one and the one that made us all smile," Delgado said.

On the morning of Oct. 4, firefighters responded to a crash on the 5 Freeway in Irvine. Five teens heading back home after a night at Knott's Scary Farm were killed. A 16-year-old unlicensed driver was seriously injured. The cause of the crash was still under investigation.

"Life is precious and we all agree that this happened too soon and it should never have happened. Now it has, and we have to lean on each other," said Jason Sorrell, Capistrano Valley High School soccer coach.

Sotelo and Moreno both attended Mission Basilica San Juan Capistrano, also the site of their funeral. The service, held in Spanish and English, included a prayer for family and friends of the teens.

Dozens of Sotelo's fellow soccer players at Capistrano Valley High School were among the crowd.

"They all just wanted to come out and honor him just one more time for the families," Sorrell said.

A third teen killed in the tragic crash, Jenny Bahena, was buried last week.

Two separate funerals were scheduled for Saturday morning for Jenny Campos at St. Nicholas Church in Laguna Woods and Matthew Melo at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest.