CHULA VISTA, Calif. – Three longtime childhood friends from the Bay Area were engaged in a horrific crash in Southern California, which killed one and left the other two critically injured.
The single-vehicle crash occurred Friday morning near Interstate 805 in Chula Vista, San Diego County. According to the California Highway Patrol, the driver of a Toyota Corolla lost control and went off the roadway, colliding with a concrete pillar. Investigators stated that neither alcohol nor narcotics were suspected.
Matthew Mitiku, 23, of Newark, was pronounced deceased at the scene by San Diego County’s Department of the Medical Examiner. Coroner’s officials stated that Mitiku was a rear-seat passenger in the car.
Mitiku graduated from Washington High School, Fremont, in 2019.
In a statement to KTVU on Tuesday, Principal Bob Moran said, “He was an outstanding student and athlete at Washington. The Washington community is grieved by his passing.”
According to a GoFundMe established on Monday by Sara Tesfai, Mitiku’s two friends, Joel Tesfai and Johannes (John) Sorensen, were also hospitalized with critical injuries as a result of the incident.
“These three childhood friends turned brothers, have always been a support system for each other and anyone who knows them,” according to the website.
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Mitiku was recalled as “a ray of sunlight to his friends, family, and those who were blessed to experience him.”
Joel Tesfai, 22, a recent UC Berkeley graduate, was described as hilarious, selfless, and honest on the GoFundMe page.
Tesfai was supposed to be working toward a good career in finance. He is also considered as someone who values his relationships.
“For Joel, the most important thing is not what he is doing, but who he is with. Wherever he goes, there’s laughing,” the GoFundMe said, adding, “He never fails to express how much he values the people in his life. Nothing is more important to Joel than God, his friends, and his family.
Sorensen, a San Jose State University graduate, was reportedly pursuing a master’s degree at Golden Gate University in San Francisco.
“Everyone who has had the pleasure of knowing John would describe him as easy-going, empathetic, and ambitious,” the GoFundMe stated, adding that he had a strong love for his family and soccer.
“He grew up playing soccer, which was not only his passion but also where he formed a second family,” the fundraising organizer explained. “His friends and family mean everything to him and he will stop at nothing to make sure they are taken care of.”
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All three young guys were described as enthusiastic soccer players and active members of the Bay Area’s Habesha and Christian communities.
Their lifelong friendship and fraternity began at a young age.
They’ve always been there for each other, according to the GoFundMe, and “now we ask you to please be there for them.”
Organizers stated that the funds received would be used for medical bills, future rehabilitation, and other assistance, including funeral expenditures for Mitiku’s family.
Biniam, Mitiku’s brother, published images of himself and his elder sibling on Facebook, along with a painful and emotional homage to him, whom he described as his greatest friend.
“Words cannot express how I’m feeling. I am shocked. There was no one like you, and there will never be,” the younger brother wrote. “As long as I’m alive, with everything I have, I will always love you.”