A serious car crash in Pasadena over the weekend left three young people dead and three others seriously injured.
The victims ranged in age from 17 to 22 years old and were all from the Rose City.
A memorial of flowers and candles gathered near a ruined building in east Pasadena to mark the driver of the car whose Tesla exceeded 100 mph around 2:30 a.m. Saturday. hours before crashing into a nearby curb.
The driver and two passengers died in the crash, and three other passengers were hospitalized with serious injuries, according to authorities.
By Monday morning, the memorial outside an unoccupied building on East Foothill Avenue was filled with votive candles, footballs and shoes, flowers and a pair of leather notebooks where friends and family could leave messages.
Sergio Nava, 20, is seen here leaving a bouquet of flowers for his friend, Stephan Michael “Mike” Pfeiffer, with whom he lived in Pasadena We met when we were in middle school at Marshall Fundamental secondary school. They spoke almost every day, and Nava figured that if circumstances had been different — if Nava hadn’t been scheduled to work Saturday at the local Ralphs supermarket — he might have been in the car with his friend.
“I know he’s in a better place now, and he looks down on us,” Nava said, laying flowers.
Pfeiffer, 20, is from Pasadena, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office. The other two victims were a man in his 20s and Mohed Reda Samuel, 22, of Pasadena.
Samuel was the driver of the white, five-passenger Tesla Model 3, which was traveling westbound on Foothill Boulevard when it appeared to lose control around a curve. It hit a curb and flew into the air, said Lt. Anthony Russo of the Pasadena Police Department.
Russo said the car may have soared more than 130 feet before colliding with a utility pole and building.
Russo said the cause of the accident was still under investigation, but based on preliminary information, the vehicle did not appear to be malfunctioning. The county medical examiner’s office will conduct toxicology tests to determine whether drugs or alcohol were factors in the accident.
Russo said Samuel and the front-seat passenger died at the scene, and three of the four rear-seat passengers were ejected from the vehicle in the crash. The fourth passenger remained in the vehicle because they were wearing their seat belts.
Russo said one passenger who was ejected from the vehicle died and two others were taken to local hospitals along with survivors who remained in the back seat of the vehicle. All three passengers are expected to survive, according to authorities.
Maranatha High School in Pasadena released a statement about the incident because some of the victims involved were students at the private Christian school. Grief counselors are available in schools and in the community, according to a statement posted on Facebook on Sunday.
The school asks the public to respect the privacy of the families involved in the accident.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic car accident that claimed a precious young life this weekend. We express our condolences for this great loss and extend our sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of all those affected. “In this difficult time, we turn to Seek comfort and strength in our faith in Christ Jesus and ask others to join us in praying for all those suffering as a result of this tragedy.”
On Monday morning, a student wearing a Maranatha sweater approached the monument and left flowers. Pieces of the Tesla still litter the streets and sidewalks.
A large scratch on the pavement shows where the vehicle flew through the air, and another large scratch on the ground around the corner shows where the Tesla ended up parked.
Among the items at the memorial is a skateboard propped up on a door handle of the destroyed building, with “Mike’s” name engraved on the deck.
“He was a humble man who didn’t like to show off. He was very kind to his grandfather and grandmother,” Nava said. According to Nava, Pfeiffer cared for his grandfather until his death and was living with his grandmother at the time of the accident.
Nava said his friend was a skateboarder and studied kinesiology at Pasadena City College. Pfeiffer originally planned to change majors but has not yet decided what to study next.
“I guess we’ll never know,” Nava said, picking up one of the notebooks and writing a message for his friend. According to Nava, Pfeiffer will turn 21 this July.
A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help pay for Pfeiffer’s funeral expenses.
