3 Teens Dead, 2 Injured After Christmas Night Crash In Pleasanton

PLEASANTON, CA — The joy of Christmas has turned into tragedy in the northern California community of Pleasanton, where three teens died and two others suffered major injuries in a horrific crash.

READ UPDATED STORY: Dublin Mourns 3 High School Students Killed In Christmas Crash

The names of the teens who died have been released by the Alameda County Sheriff's Office Coroner's Bureau. They were Javier Ramirez and twin brothers Mark Urista and Michael Urista, all age 16. A GoFundMe site has been set up for the family of the Urista brothers who attended Dublin High School.

The crash happened shortly before 10 p.m. Wednesday on Foothill Road just north of Castlewood Drive. When California Highway Patrol officers arrived, they found three people in the vehicle, and two had been ejected. The driver and two passengers were pronounced dead at the scene, while two other passengers were taken to a hospital with major injuries, according to CHP Officer Tyler Hahn.

CHP investigators believe the car was heading south on Foothill Road when it crossed into the northbound lanes, slamming first into a power pole and then a tree. The power lines were arcing when emergency crews arrived, creating a hazard for rescuers.

In a prepared statement, Hahn said, "The sole vehicle involved in this collision had overturned resulting in the roof of the vehicle colliding with a large tree just east of the roadway. The force of the collision trapped three occupants within the vehicle and two occupants were ejected from the vehicle."

The impact from the crash severed the power pole at the base and upended the pole, causing a transformer to rupture and spill about 20 gallons of mineral oil onto the roadway and dirt shoulder, Hahn said. Foothill Road was closed for most of Thursday as PG&E crews repaired the damage.

Alcohol did not appear to be a factor in the collision, Hahn said. A final determination will be made after the coroner's report is completed and officers have further investigated the crash.

Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call the Dublin-area CHP office at (925) 828-0466.

— Patch editors Bea Karnes , Toni McAllister and Courtney Teague, as well as Bay City News, contributed to this story

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