Overview
- Local authorities found the wreckage on a steep hillside after a passerby reported the crash and Grand Junction Police responded around 7:45 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 9.
- The Mesa County Coroner confirmed all five victims were 17-year-old boys and pronounced them dead at the scene from injuries sustained in the crash.
- First responders from Grand Junction Police, Grand Junction Fire, Mesa County Search & Rescue and the coroner used rope operations to reach and recover the bodies from the cliff.
- The coroner reported that three occupants, including the driver and front-seat passenger, were wearing seat belts and two others were unbelted and were ejected from the vehicle.
- The crash remains under active investigation with speed being examined, officials are not releasing names because the victims are minors, and local schools and victim services are providing support to families and students.