Police in Fort Myers, Florida, have been investigating since Tuesday an event in which five young people died after the car they were traveling in fell into a lake.
The Fort Myers Police Department, which is located on the southwest coast of Florida, confirmed that a vehicle crashed into a retention pond early Monday morning and was submerged in the lake.
The events took place in a curved section of Challenger Boulevard, where the road becomes a road called Topgolf Way, parallel to Interstate 75.
Police authorities identified the victims as Eric Paul, 19; Jackson Eyre, 18; Amanda Ferguson, 18; Breanna Coleman, 18, and Jesus Salinas, also 18.
All, except Salinas, worked at the Texas Roadhouse restaurant, near the scene of the event, and supposedly had finished their work shift when they got into the car, according to local media outlet The News-Press.
In a statement, Fort Myers Police spokeswoman Kristen Capuzzi said the person driving the vehicle “apparently” lost control as Challenger Boulevard turns into Topgolf Way.
“It took a long time to get the car out” of the pond, Capuzzi said Tuesday afternoon.
So far, Fort Myers police have not specified which of the deceased youths was driving the vehicle. They have also not confirmed the cause of the accident and continue to seek information.
The Fort Myers Police Department said in a statement that investigators are seeking “any information regarding the events leading up to or following the single-vehicle traffic accident that resulted in a tragedy involving five teens who lost their lives.”
With information from the EFE agency