IRVINE, Calif. – A pair of deadly nighttime crashes only hours apart in Southern California each killed five people, including a group of teenagers returning from an amusement park who were burned beyond recognition, officials said Saturday.
The 16-year-old driver was the lone survivor of the crash of a BMW sedan at 2:15 a.m. Saturday carrying six teens returning from Knott’s Berry Farm amusement park in Buena Vista, in its popular October guise as “Knott’s Scary Farm,” authorities said.
The car flew off Interstate 5 in Irvine, crashed and caught fire, killing three teenage boys and two teenage girls, Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve Concialdi said. The white sedan was flattened on top and covered with burn marks as it was towed from the scene.
This is a horrific accident,” Concialdi said.
Authorities had not yet identified the teens, but the three boys all played for the same soccer team, the Los Angeles Times reported.