Fiery Grand Prairie street racing crash kills 4 family members, child in critical condition
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Grand Prairie police are investigating a major crash that killed two adults and two children on Saturday night. A third child is in the hospital in critical condition.
The crash happened around 8 p.m. on South Belt Line Road, near Marshall Drive.
Police said the driver of a red Dodge Charger was speeding and racing another vehicle when it collided with a Chevy Traverse SUV who was not believed to be a part of the race.
Witness video shows the SUV catching fire after it appears to have been struck.
Elisa Arguello was at a nearby community garden when she heard the crash.
"I just heard two cars, they passed, like, super fast in front of the garden and right away we just heard a huge crash, I saw the smoke, I ran as fast as I could," she said.
Video of the crash's aftermath shows large flames coming from the Fuel Stop gas station.
"I immediately saw the driver of the red car, they had just pulled him out of the car and he was just trying to stand up. And I know when an accident happens you have an adrenaline rush, so I was just asking him, ‘Can you please stay low. Can you please stay laying down,’" Arguello recalled.
Ashik Maharjam was working inside the gas station when he heard the crash.
"I heard a big bang noise from there coming out," said Maharjam.
He ran outside to help, and that's when he saw the fire.
"I couldn’t even go near the fire, it was just that big," Maharjam recalled. "It was the craziest day of my life."
Once Grand Prairie police and fire showed up, Arguello said it took 15 minutes to put out the flames.
Another witness video shows first responders on the scene after the fire was put out. The video also shows the red Charger with a wrecked front end and an SUV on its side that is visibly charred from the fire.
Police said five family members were inside the SUV. Two adults and two children were killed. A third child is in the hospital in critical condition.
Grand Prairie street racing crash: What we know about the victims
Four members of a North Texas family are dead and another is critically injured after they were hit by a car that was street racing in Grand Prairie on Saturday.
Street racing suspects arrested
Grand Prairie Police confirmed to FOX 4 that the cause of the crash was street racing.
The driver of the red Charger, identified as 20-year-old Jaime Mesa, is facing multiple charges for manslaughter, racing on a highway, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Mesa was hospitalized after the crash but is expected to survive.
Police also arrested 22-year-old Anthony Morales, the driver of the car Mesa was racing. He's facing similar charges.
Anthony Morales (Grand Prairie PD)
Adam Ramirez lives in the neighborhood behind the gas station. He drove by the scene on his way home Saturday night.
He said speeding cars and racing is an issue in the area.
"You can hear them just speeding up and down the road," Ramirez said. "From one minute to the next you’re here, and you’re gone just for pulling out of a driveway, you know."
"It’s really sad. Because it doesn’t matter how many people, just one person injured is enough to feel sad. This shouldn't happen, especially a beautiful Saturday like it was yesterday," Arguello said.