Tragedy struck Cleveland's West Side early this morning when a stolen vehicle carrying four individuals crashed into a tree on W. 106th Street, according to News 5 Cleveland. The Cleveland EMS declared that two men and two women, all believed to be in their 20s, were pronounced dead at the scene, and the severity of the crash left debris scattered across the neighborhood.
Preliminary investigations suggest the car, a Hyundai Sonata, was traveling at a high speed and lost control near the intersection of West 106th Street and Madison Avenue around 12:30 a.m., Cleveland Division of Police Accident Investigation Unit indicated that the vehicle was traveling northbound at what "appears to be excessive speed" when it went off the roadway, hit one tree slightly before it crashed into another, this is what police believe may have happened, according to a report by FOX8. They also pointed out that the accident was unrelated to a police pursuit.
Residents in the area were stunned by the sound of the collision, with one neighbor recounting to FOX8 that they heard a car racing down the street followed by the violent crash. Despite the early morning hours, the impact was forceful enough to wake neighbors and leave the Sonata so extensively damaged that officials struggled to identify the make and model of the vehicle, as noted by statements obtained by Cleveland19 News.
The crash's intensity was such that three passengers were ejected from the car. The driver remained inside, all were confirmed dead at the tragic scene, EMS described the scene as "very violent, very high speed" crash in which the vehicle was "obliterated," according to Cleveland19 News, underscoring the ferocity of the collision, officials are still investigating to determine the full circumstances of the crash, and the victims' names have not been publicly released pending notification of their families. Streets were closed off overnight to facilitate the ongoing police investigation, with the area cordoned off until the wreckage was removed and the initial analysis completed.
