Two men arrested in Texas are accused of racing sports cars on Saturday and causing a horrific crash that killed four members of the same family, according to investigators.
According to authorities, the tragic crash happened Saturday around 8:15 p.m. on South Belt Line Road in Grand Prairie, a Dallas suburb.
Two drivers, one behind the wheel of a red Dodge Charger and the other driving a white Dodge Charger Daytona, were racing when a Chevrolet Traverse turned left into Kingston Drive and crashed with the red Charger, according to police.
Three people in the Traverse were pronounced deceased at the scene. A fourth occupant died at a hospital, while a fifth remained in critical condition as of Sunday, according to authorities.
Police stated the white Charger fled the crash site.
NBC Dallas-Fort Worth stated that five family members were in the Traverse. Jessie and Lorena Rosales, the parents, perished at the scene. Stephanie, 13 years old, and Angel, 6, perished as well. According to the news agency, a third child, aged 16, survived but was in severe condition.
Witnesses at the scene captured video of the aftermath of the crash, showing one car flipped on its side and engulfed in flames, while another had its front end destroyed by the force of the wreck, according to NBC Dallas-Fort Worth.
Jaime Mesa, 20, the driver of the red Charger, was hospitalized for non-life-threatening injuries, according to authorities. He was charged with four counts of racing on a highway causing death, four counts of manslaughter, one count of racing on a highway causing serious bodily injury, and one case of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, police said.
Anthony Morales, 22, the driver who fled the scene, was arrested Sunday on four counts of highway racing resulting in death and one count of highway racing resulting in serious bodily injury, according to police.
It was unclear on Thursday afternoon if Mesa or Morales had hired attorneys.
Police said the crash was still under investigation.
Yvette Acosta told NBC Dallas-Fort Worth that she heard screams emanating from the victims’ vehicle.
“I haven’t been able to sleep well because of it,” she told me. “I can hear that, and just seeing them and not being able to help them, it’s very devastating.”
Acosta told the news source that street racing was never an issue when she moved to the region 25 years ago, but it is now, particularly near the disaster site.
“Belt Line and 14th Street are the main ones where they’re always racing,” according to her. “You are putting people in danger. You are killing people. If they can think of their own family, imagine if this was your family. How would you feel if this were your family?