Two men were killed in a fiery crash in San Francisco this morning, following a high-speed chase across the Bay Bridge in a stolen BMW. The crash, and the subsequent investigation, will leave a heavily-used off-ramp closed for drivers Wednesday morning.
According to California Highway Patrol spokesman Officer Sean Wilkenfeld, CHP officers noticed a BMW (KPIX says it was a "3 Series") that they say was stolen out of San Francisco on northbound 880 near Seventh Street in Oakland at around 3 AM Wednesday.
When the officers pursued the vehicle, they were led on a chase across the Bay Bridge at speeds of over 100 MPH, Wilkenfeld said.
Once in San Francisco, Wilkenfeld said, the driver of the BMW tried to take off-ramp at Fifth and Harrison Streets, but instead crashed into the left wall of the ramp, where the BMW burst into flames.
One man was ejected from the vehicle in the crash, and another occupant of the vehicle died in the car, according to Wilkenfeld.
The off-ramp remains closed this morning as the police continue their investigation. Wilkenfield says he expects it to reopen at around 10 AM. (Update: it reopened around 9:30) In the meantime, commuters will need to exit at the Fremont or Civic Center exits.
“Right we have our MAI team-it’s the major accident investigation team. They’re coming out here and they’re going to assist with the investigation. So they’ll come out here and measure where everything is before we open the off-ramp and the coroner needs to come out here to identify and remove the bodies,” Wilkenfeld told KCBS.