Sisters in fatal Richmond car crash recently emigrated from El Salvador
RICHMOND, Calif. - A 16-year-old girl was killed, and her 11-year-old sister was critically injured in an early morning car crash in Richmond on Monday, police say.
Authorities identified the 16-year-old on Thursday as Stephanie Anahi.
KTVU has confirmed the 16-year-old was a student at Richmond High School and her sister was a student at Ford Elementary School. The younger sister is awake but in the intensive care unit at a local hospital, according to the girls' aunt. Both recently came to the United States from El Salvador.
Police said the car the girls were in was stolen and that two 15-year old boys were also in the car at the time of the crash on the 600 block of Canal Boulevard. Police say the boys both bailed out of the car at the time of the crash, but Richmond Police say they have both since been identified and have given statements to police.
No arrests have been made until police can determine who was driving the car.
A memorial is placed at the site of a crash in Richmond where one sister was killed and the younger sister was critically injured.
"Well, it is important because the driver is potentially facing manslaughter, possession of stolen vehicle, and felony hit-and-run charges once we can determine who that person is," said Lt. Donald Patchin of the Richmond Police Department.
Police said they received automated traffic collision alerts from two separate iPhones at 5:17 a.m. Responding officers found a heavily damaged Infinity G35 resting in the northbound lanes. The 16-year-old was ejected from the vehicle and killed, police said.
Nearby residents say that stretch of Canal Boulevard is a regular location for street racing and sideshow activity. "Street racing and sideshows and reckless driving are a common occurrence. I would say on a nightly basis in that area," said Andrew Butt, a longtime resident and former city council candidate who saw the remains of the mangled car being towed away.
Police said the car had been reported stolen to the San Pablo Police Department on Oct. 12.
A fatal crash in Richmond. Photos by Andrew Butt.
Initial evidence indicates the driver of the car was speeding when it exited the roadway and struck two trees and a pole on a curb, police said.
The two boys exited the vehicle and fled the area immediately after the crash, according to police.
One of the boys was found at an area hospital where he was seeking treatment for injuries. The other was found at a Richmond home later in the evening.
Police said they received conflicting statements from the car's occupants about who was driving when the car crashed.
The identity of the girl who was killed has not yet been released.
"We are saddened by this senseless tragedy that has resulted in the loss of such a young life. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim's family and the remaining victim who remains hospitalized," police said in a statement.
A memorial is placed at the site of a crash in Richmond where one sister was killed and the younger sister was critically injured.
A memorial is placed at the site of a crash in Richmond where one sister was killed and the younger sister was critically injured.