A crash in Kearny Mesa killed two and severely injured a group of teens racing home from a bonfire late Wednesday night.
The friends were riding in two separate vehicles and began racing each other on the eastbound Highway 52 at speeds of more than 100 miles per hour, according to the California Highway Patrol.
A VW Passat with four boys and one girl inside lost control and flipped over just past Convoy Street.
Two boys were killed instantly. The other three people were taken to the hospital.
Medical examiners have identified the two boys who died in the accident as 18-year-old Anthony Foreman and 16-year-old Jayli James Campbell. The two lived in Santee. Campbell was a student at Santana High School and Foreman was a senior at El Capitan High School.
Both boys were sitting in the back seat at the time of the crash. They were ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead on the scene, the examiner's report stated.
One of those hospitalized victims from that same vehicle was pronounced brain dead Thursday morning. CHP believes that victim was the girl in the car that crashed.
Another passenger, who investigators believe was sitting in the middle backseat, is in critical condition but is expected to survive.
The driver, a 16-year-old male from Santee, also suffered severe injuries, according to police. Authorities said he faces manslaughter charges. That teen was released from the hospital on Friday, according to family friends.
The three teens traveling in the other vehicle were unharmed.
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Michael Johnson, the 18-year-old driver (right) was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of marijuana and booked into jail. He faces charges of vehicular manslaughter with gross neglegence, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol and engaging in a motor vehicle speed contest.
Johnson's bail was set at $50,000, according to the California Highway Patrol.
He was no longer in custody as of 4:45 p.m. on Thursday.
One witness to the crash was stunned by what he saw.
"It was the most horrific thing I've ever seen," said Jeremy Benson.
All the teens involved range in age from 15 to 18 years old. The person behind the wheel of the car that crashed was driving with a restricted license, and was not supposed to be driving past 11 p.m. or with anyone else in the vehicle.
Officials suspect the driver of the car that crashed may have also been under the influence.
Campbell's father, Robert, spoke with some of the students outside Santana High School Thursday afternoon. He called his son "my Hercules." He said his son was a straight A student and was planning to join the Air Force.
Campbells mother, Theresa, couldn't bear to appear on camera but spoke fondly of her son as she clutched a bracelet he once gave to her.
"I have never been anywhere where people don't tell me how much they love my son, and about what a good kid he is. Kind-hearted. He wasn't planning his future, he was planning our future. I hope this accident sends a message for everybody. Everybody. It needs to stop."
A friend of Campbell's said it was out of character for Campbell to get in the car. The friend said he was an outstanding student who loved rap and had a video studio at his house.
There will be a 6 p.m. vigil at Santana High School in rememberance of the teens killed.
Check back for more details on this developing story.
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