6 friends, 5 seats: Too many youths piled into car before deadly high-speed O.C. crash, police say

A group of teens and one young adult, celebrating spring break, piled into a Lexus sedan last Saturday night before speeding down a residential street in Santa Ana.

The group consisted of five teenagers and one 20-year-old, including two sets of siblings. All six lived in the same apartment building. Four managed to squeeze into the back of the car, which can seat a total of just five safely, according to a Santa Ana Police Department spokesperson.

The night ended in disaster and heartbreak for the family of the passengers.

According to new details released by police, at about 11:25 p.m., the driver, 18-year-old Emanuel Gonzalez Martinez, was speeding on Segerstrom Avenue between Raitt and Greenville streets. He lost control of the car and hit a tree on the car’s right side.

Four people, including the driver, died at the scene, police spokesperson Nina Garcia said. Another, 13-year-old Carr Intermediate School student Cynthia Torres Zarate, was hospitalized and placed on life support before being declared brain dead. The teen died from her injuries Wednesday. One person, who had been sitting in the back of the car, survived.

The other passengers were identified by officials and families as 17-year-old Natalia Vidal Zarate, 16-year-old Jacqueline Torres Zarate and 20-year-old Arely Robles, whose sister, 15-year-old Arlene Robles, was the sole survivor of the crash.

California

Speeding and drugs were factors in Cybertruck crash that killed 3 college students, CHP says

Three people — Soren Dixon, 19, Jack Nelson, 20, and Krysta Tsukahara, 19 — suffered major burns and blunt force trauma and were pronounced dead at the scene.

March 4, 2025

“They piled in more people in this car than they should have,” Garcia said, adding it was one of the “more severe” accidents her department has seen. “It’s just a tragedy. The families are completely devastated.”

The investigation into the crash is ongoing and officials are trying to determine whether alcohol or drugs played a role in the collision, according to police.

Among the victims, four were Valley High School students.

The Santa Ana Unified School District said in a statement that the “entire SAUSD community is devastated by this unimaginable loss.”

“We extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims, and our thoughts remain with the two individuals who are recovering,” according to the statement.