Overview
- A single-vehicle crash occurred when a car hit a traffic signal at Broadway and Miller Street about 1:40 a.m. Sunday, leaving four people dead at the scene and a fifth who later died at a hospital.
- Authorities have identified the five teenagers as Isabella Star Vigil, 16; Nicolas Munoz-Gautreaux, 17; Jennifer Gutierrez, 19; Guendi Beatrice Gamez Escalante, 16; and Yusbeli Diaz Galvez, 17.
- A sixth occupant, Aurelio Calixtro Matias, 24, remains hospitalized in critical condition, and police have not disclosed who was driving.
- Investigators say preliminary evidence at the scene and witness accounts point to possible speeding with alcohol involvement but stress the inquiry is ongoing and no final findings or charges have been announced.
- Local schools and the community have set up memorials and offered counseling to students and families, and authorities urged anyone with information to contact the Santa Maria Police Department as crash reconstruction and toxicology tests proceed.