Four friends, none older than 21, none wearing a seat belt, died early on a Friday morning when their car left Angeles Crest Highway, rolled down an embankment, and slammed into a pole, and now their families are asking a grieving community for help.
The black Hyundai Veloster was carrying six passengers eastbound on state Route 2, the winding mountain highway north of Los Angeles, just before 1:30 a.m. when the driver let the vehicle drift right, leave the pavement, and overturn. Five of the six occupants were ejected. Four were pronounced dead at the scene. Two survivors were rushed to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, a trauma center in the San Bernardino Mountains area. Their condition has not been publicly disclosed.
The California Highway Patrol's preliminary investigation found that no one in the car was buckled in, and that alcohol was "likely a contributing factor." All six passengers were from Wrightwood, a small mountain community roughly 8,000 feet up in the San Gabriel range, about 80 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office identified three of the dead: Rebekah Cabral-Gonzalez, 21; Nevaeh Harper, 20; and Jason Potter, 19. A fourth victim was identified on social media and through a GoFundMe page as Cole Torres. Authorities had not officially confirmed Torres's identity at the time of publication, and his age has not been reported.
CHP described the crash sequence in blunt terms, as the New York Post also reported:
"The victims, all from Wrightwood, were traveling east on state Route 2 when the driver allowed the vehicle to veer to the right and leave the roadway. The car overturned, traveled down an embankment and slammed into a power pole."
CHP has not said who was behind the wheel, whether that person survived, or whether criminal charges, including a possible DUI investigation, are being pursued. No arrests have been reported.
The crash tore through a tight-knit mountain town where everybody seemed to know the victims. Johnny Stull, a Wrightwood resident, captured the senselessness of the loss in a single sentence.
"They just wanted to cruise up the highway, go look at the stars. And they're dead now."
Cabral-Gonzalez worked as a ski instructor and devoted her professional life to behavioral health and special education, working with children with special needs. Her GoFundMe page described her as a "bright light, a free spirit with an incredible zest for life" who was "unselfish with her time and gave far more than she ever expected to receive." She had a twin sister named Victoria. The fundraiser's organizers wrote that her calling was connecting with people "who needed someone willing to truly see them, listen to them, and believe in them."
Potter, just 19, was remembered as an "incredibly talented snowboarder" who filled every room he entered with energy. His GoFundMe page said he "touched more lives than he probably ever realized, and the love surrounding his family is a reflection of just how special he was."
Harper's fundraiser described a loss that "touched the lives of hundreds of people who knew and loved her."
"She will be missed immensely. So many of us would trade anything to feel her love again. She inspired the people around her through her liveliness, and the impact she made on others is clear in the many lives this loss has shaken."
Torres, also a snowboarder, died alongside what the GoFundMe page called "three of his best friends." A friend of his mother, Jillian LeAnn Torres, set up the fundraiser and described a family still reeling.
"Right now, Jillian is in a state of shock and trying to process something no parent should ever have to face. Her son had just learned at a gender reveal that he was going to be an uncle to a baby girl, which makes this loss feel even more devastating for everyone who loved him."
An Instagram account called @wwbums, dedicated to local snowboarding and outdoor sports in the Wrightwood area, paid tribute to Torres and Potter, calling them "the best kids on the planet from the best families." The account organized a candlelight vigil and asked the community for restraint: "Please be respectful. These guys were beloved by everyone."
Four separate GoFundMe campaigns had been launched by Monday morning. Torres's page had raised $18,700. Potter's stood at $13,400. The pages for Cabral-Gonzalez and Harper had collected just over $9,000 combined. The fundraisers cite funeral expenses and the sudden financial burden on families who had no reason to expect it.
Several major questions remain unanswered. CHP has not publicly identified the driver. The agency has not said whether either of the two survivors was at the wheel, or whether toxicology results have been completed. No charges have been announced. The precise location of the crash on state Route 2, a highway notorious for its sharp curves and steep drop-offs, has not been specified.
Four young people left a small mountain town on a Friday night, drove a road they probably knew by heart, and never came home. Seat belts cost nothing. Second chances cost everything.
