A pair of teenage twins and their friend were killed in a collision Christmas night near Castelwood Country Club in Pleasanton, and now the Dublin High School community and the boys' families are in mourning.
Five teens were in a Hyundai sedan that crashed into a utility pole and then into a tree around 10 p.m. Wednesday. The boys who were killed have been identified as Javier Ramirez, 16, and twin brothers Mark Anthony and Michael Angelo Urista, also 16. Also injured in the crash was Samantha Vargas Arceo, as well as another student identified on a GoFundMe page as Jared Reynoso, and both were hospitalized in critical condition. All five were students at Dublin High School.
The car rolled over in the crash, as the East Bay Times reports, and the two teens who survived the crash were both ejected from the vehicle. Neighbor Sharon Tangney, who called to report the crash, says that it made a loud noise and "shook" her house. Another neighbor on Foothill Road, Tom Coleman, tells KPIX that "8 or 9 people have died along this road" over the years, and "We have a lot of people that speed through here, drag race."
As KRON 4 reports, Dublin Unified School District Superintendent Dave Marken issued a statement saying, "Our hearts hurt for our students, families and Dublin High School colleagues. This is a devastating loss to our community and it is important that we remember to take care of one another during this critical time."
The school will be holding a candlelight vigil for the three teens on Sunday, December 29 at 5 p.m.
Friend Lonny Yu launched a crowdfunding campaign to help the Urista and Ramirez families with funeral expenses. It has raised over $64,000 so far.
"What words can be said to make this better?" Yu writes. "We can't think of any so we are left with actions that can have us feel like we can do something to help support this family in a time of emotional pain."
