SAN JOSE (KRON) — Three people have died and one is in critical condition following a two car crash in San Jose late Tuesday night.
The accident happened around 10:53 p.m. on East Santa Clara Street near 22nd Street in San Jose.
All victims were involved in the crash are under the age of 18 years old, according to police.
Three victims have been identified as 17-year-old Anthony Ramos, 18-year-old Oscar Avila Toledo, and 15-year-old Jayleen Ciriaco. Ciriaco and Avila Toledo were San Jose residents and Ramos lived in Gilroy, according to the medical examiner’s office.
When officers arrived they found a gold Honda Accord with major damage and four passengers inside with serious injuries.
Two of the passengers were pronounced dead at the scene, one died later at the hospital and the other is in critical condition at a hospital, police said.
Police believe the drivers were racing the two vehicles when the crash occurred.
The two cars were traveling westbound on Santa Clara Street at a high rate of speed when the Honda lost control and spun out, striking a light pole and spinning into a tree on the curb, police said.
The other car, an unknown dark colored Acura, fled the scene and has not been located yet.
After further investigation, police found that the Gold Honda Accord was an unreported stolen vehicle taken out of San Jose.
Police are actively searching for the people that were driving the Acura.
Police have cleared the scene and the streets are now open.
Investigators have not determined if drugs or alcohol was a factor in the crash, police said.
Avila Toledo used to go to San Jose High School and another teen in the crash was either a current or former student at another school in the San Jose Unified School District, district spokesman Jorge Quintana said.
Staff members at the schools are offering support to the victims’ families, Quintana said.
The district has also sent its crisis team of professional counselors to the schools to help students and staff members support in response to the deaths, according to Quintana.
Anyone with information on the crash is asked to call the San Jose Police Department’s traffic investigations unit at (408) 277-4654 or Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at (408) 947-7867.
Stay with KRON 4 for updates on this breaking news story.