04.05.2025 | 11:23 PM | SANTA ANA – Five people were killed and another remained hospitalized following a high-speed crash into a tree, late Saturday night.
The collision occurred on West Segerstrom Avenue between South Townsend Street and South Griset Place around 11:23 PM when a silver Lexus sedan traveling westbound departed the roadway and struck a tree in the center median.
The force of the collision fell a palm tree and caused three of the vehicle’s six occupants to be ejected while another three became trapped in the wreckage.
Crews arriving on scene rendered aid to the ejected victims while working to free the trapped occupants using heavy rescue tools.
Two of ejected victims were rushed to an area trauma center while the third was pronounced deceased on scene. One of the two transported ejection victims was pronounced deceased by hospital staff several days after the collision.
The three entrapped victims were eventually extricated from the wreckage but ultimately pronounced deceased on scene.
Police say the Lexus was driven by 18-year-old Emmanuel Gonzalez Martinez, of Santa Ana, who died at the scene. The front seat passenger, Jacqueline Torres Zarate, 16, along with back seat passengers Arely Robles, 20, and Natalia Vidal, 17, all died at the scene. Cinthia Torres, 13, was identified as the ejection victim who died after being transported to a nearby hospital.
The surviving passenger, a 15-year-old female, remains hospitalized in stable condition.
All of the victims were residents of Santa Ana, police said.
Speed was a factor in the collision and the involvement of drugs or alcohol in the crash is being investigated, police added.
A black sedan and a grey SUV collided with debris from the high-speed collision though no injuries were reported from either vehicle.
Anyone with information regarding the deadly collision was asked to contact Detective K. Catlin at (714) 245-8224 or the Santa Ana Police Department’s Traffic Division at (714) 245-8200.
Anonymous tips can be submitted through the Orange County Crime Stoppers by calling (855) TIP-OCCS or by visiting their website at www.occrimestoppers.org.
