A driver died Wednesday in a horrific crash moments after he was spotted speeding, National City Police said.
Neighbors cleaned up the debris left behind from the crash on E. 16th Street.
National City police said the driver of a van hit a parked car and caused a chain reaction with three more cars just after 2 a.m.
An officer saw a driver speeding on East Plaza Boulevard around 2 a.m.and tried to pull over the driver, officials said.
The driver failed to stop and drove onto E. 16th Street.
The officer lost sight of the car because the driver did not have the headlights on. Then, the officer saw smoke coming from E. 16th Street
Officers tried to save the driver's life, but were unsuccessful.
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Neighbors said they were heard a loud crash and saw smoke.
"We were shocked. I was shocked myself. I thought I was dreaming, and I wasn't," said Lucy Alaysa, who lives near the crash site. "It was a real, real accident."
No one else was injured.
The driver has not been identified.
Police closed E. 16th St. from Grove Ave. to Palm Ave. for several hours due to the investigation.
