Five 17-year-old boys have died after their car plunged off a cliff in Grand Junction, Colorado, with two passengers thrown from the vehicle during the crash.
The group, all aged 17, were pronounced dead on Sunday morning after emergency services responded to the steep hillside. The boys were travelling along a residential street with steep drop-offs when their vehicle veered off the roadway late on Saturday night.
The wreckage was discovered at around 7:45am after crews received a report that a car may have gone over the edge of a cliff.
Seatbelt status and ejection
The Mesa County Coroner's Office said three of the boys had been wearing seatbelts, including the driver and front-seat passenger. The other two were not wearing seatbelts and were ejected from the vehicle. All five boys, who lived in Grand Junction, were pronounced dead at the scene.
An investigation into the cause of the crash is underway, with detectives looking into the possibility that speed may have played a role.
Victims identified by loved ones
Police have not officially identified the victims as they were under 18, but loved ones have identified them online as Braden Taylor, Tristan Tucker, Titus Gould, William Simms and Tyler Martinez.
In a GoFundMe page launched after Tucker's death, relatives described him as being "full of life, potential, and a free spirit". Tucker was reportedly due to start his senior year of high school and was close to getting his driver's license.
Simms' sister Emily confirmed her younger brother was killed alongside his "best friends". "My sweet sweet baby brother and his best friends left this world too soon," she said in a Facebook post.
Fundraisers and community grief
Emily launched a fundraiser to support her family as they try to "process a loss we still cannot fathom". She wrote: "We were all very close, and losing him so suddenly has turned our world upside down."
A Meal Train fundraiser has been launched to support Gould's family. A friend of the teenager's mum also shared a donation link to "ease some of the financial burdens" the family may face.
Trae Tripoli said in a Facebook post: "Five beautiful young lives gone far too soon, leaving families, friends, and our entire community grieving an unimaginable loss. One of those beautiful souls was Titus, the beloved son of my dear friend and fellow instructor, Larisa Gould."
Taylor's grandfather Calvin Wilken confirmed the teenager was among those killed after the vehicle rolled down five ledges of a "very steep drop off". "Very sad news our youngest grandson Braden 17 died in a car rollover down 5 ledges of a very steep drop off over looking the railroad tracks and the Gunnison River," he wrote. "He was a passenger with 4 of his buddies, all deceased. Just a few blocks from their old house on the ridge top housing development above."
Martinez's grandmother Debbie Gallegos Martinez confirmed her grandson had died. "With a heavy heart and tears rolling down my cheek my grandson was one of this [sic] boys," she wrote on Facebook. Another relative, Angela Chris Martinez, asked for prayers for all the grieving families: "Please keep our family in your prayers and prayers for the families that lost your boys, this is devastating and heartbreaking."
