3 Piedmont High graduates die in fiery Cybertruck crash, sources say

PIEDMONT, Calif. - Three people died early Wednesday and one person was taken to the hospital in a fiery Cybertruck crash in Piedmont, a day before Thanksgiving. 

Two sources told KTVU that all four were 2023 graduates of Piedmont High. Two victims who died were men and a third was a woman.

A steady stream of well-wishers, friends and residents paid their respects at the crash site Wednesday. Many were in tears as they hugged and consoled one another.

Stacy Martin burst into tears at the scene when she learned about the victims, some of whom she had taught in middle school - and one in elementary school.

"So horrible," Martin said. "They all have wonderful families."

She added, "When you know them, it just makes it worse. But I just can't imagine for their parents and their siblings," she said, weeping.

Police Chief Jeremy Bowers did not immediately discuss any details about the victims.

But he did outline what happened beginning at 3:08 a.m. when police were first notified of the tragic scene. 

When officers arrived at Hampton Road and King Avenue, they found a Cybertruck fully engulfed in flames. 

Bowers said that emergency crews tried to douse the fire with extinguishers, but the intensity of the flames was too hot. 

It's not clear what happened with the Cybertruck or what it slammed into, although Bowers said that speed was likely one of the contributing factors. 

The Cybertruck ended up wedged between a tree and a retaining wall.

Bowers said a young man had been following the Cybertruck – it was unclear what his relationship was to the four in the car – and that when it veered off the road, he got out of his own car to pull one of the people from the vehicle. 

That man was taken to the hospital with severe injuries, Bowers said, and the other three people were pronounced dead.

Bowers said it's possible the young man and the four in the Cybertruck had been at an event together beforehand. 

"The solo vehicle that was involved in the crash, there was another vehicle that came after it, that was following behind and came upon the vehicle as it was fully engulfed," Bowers said. "The individual exited the car and was able to pull the person out, but the nature of the vehicle was a Cybertruck and the heat was just too intense." 

A short time later, two adults came to hug the young man, who appeared to be in his 20s.

Piedmont police and firefighters, as well as the California Highway Patrol were on scene. The CHP investigates all deadly crashes in Piedmont. 

No further details were immediately provided. Bowers did not release any victim information out of respect to their families. 

"This is just a tragic loss of life," Bowers said. "We don’t know the cause of the collision and during the holiday season, our hearts go out to the families that are going to have to deal with this tragedy."