It’s not uncommon for teenagers to occasionally hit trees. But not like this. 18-year-old Ray Vega along with his 17-year-old passenger and girlfriend, Carmen Rivera-Gotay, met their unfortunate demise after while racing Ray’s older brother, Kevin. While attempting to pass Kevin, Ray –instead– sideswiped him, lost control of his ’96 Honda Accord, and smacked full speed into a tree.

As per Elizabeth Castellano, a neighbor who lives near the scene of the incident:
“It sounded like something hit a brick wall — a thud, a boom. When I saw the car this morning, I couldn’t believe it. It was ripped in half. I can’t imagine people were inside it.”
After running outside to match the sound with a scene, she noticed Kevin Vega. Castellano then went on to say, “The poor kid sat over here at the end of our driveway. He was kind of in shock. I heard him say on the phone, ‘There’s a boy and girl in the car!’ He sounded frantic and scared.”

Parents and family members of those lost in the crash were distraught.

Jamaal Fisher
Via NYPost