Two San Jose Teens Die in Car Crash

Two teenagers were killed and three were injured in San Jose late Saturday night when a car they were in crashed into a tree, police said.

Officers responded to a 911 call reporting a crash involving a 1999 Ford Contour on Chynoweth Avenue at Derek Drive at about 11:55 p.m., San Jose police spokesman Jason Dwyer said.

The Ford had apparently crashed into a tree in the center divide of Chynoweth Avenue, Dwyer said. There were five young men in the car at the time of the crash.

A 19-year-old driver - identified by his family as Fabian Perez - was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.  A 16-year-old passenger identified by family as Salvador Fernandez - was taken to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries at about 2 a.m.

Three other passengers were expected to survive.

According to a preliminary investigation, the vehicle was traveling west on Chynoweth Avenue at high speed when it struck the tree.

No other vehicles appear to have been involved, police said.

It has not been determined if drugs or alcohol were a factor in the crash, which remains under investigation by San Jose police.

Friends and family gathered at the spot where the two teenagers were killed late Saturday night.

They said they are devastated about what happened.

"I had to see it for myself," Fernandez's cousin Nannies Munoz said. "It's something that is hard to believe."

Neighbors said they could hear the teenagers screaming for help after the crash.

Fernandez's family said he was an only child in a tight knit family.

"He was funny, always smiling, always joking with me," Munoz said. "He was a cheerful person, someone that you would want to be around, and for this to happen, it's devastating for us."

Police said three other male passengers were ejected from the car during the crash and suffered critical injuries, but they are expected to survive. No other vehicles were involved.

Neighbors said cars often speed down this street and visibility is a problem since there are not many street lights. Neighbors who heard the crash and went outside did not want to comment, but they describe the scene as horrific.

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