Family and friends are mourning teen sweethearts killed in a tragic crash when a car careened out of control and struck the truck they were in. Lolita Lopez reported for the NBC4 News at 5 p.m. on Oct. 19, 2015.
A teen couple killed in a horrific crash triggered by a speeding car in Hacienda Heights were identified Monday.
George Steward II and Sabrina Castillo of Hacienda Heights died at the scene Sunday after a black sedan speeding down the 60 Freeway off-ramp near South 7th Avenue went airborne and struck their pickup truck about 7 p.m., the California Highway Patrol said.
The couple, both 18, were high school sweethearts and recent graduates of Los Altos High School, family and friends said.
"They were so good for each other. You could tell that they really loved each other," said Anahi Parra, a student who was tutored by Steward in Spanish class. "Just hearing what happened really broke my heart."
According to family, Castillo was attending Citrus College with plans to major in business.
"She was a very energetic, outgoing, beautiful woman," her father, Steve Castillo, said.
Steward played football for Mt. San Antonio College.
"He was well-liked by a lot of people," said George Steward, George Steward II's father.
According to CHP, a black Lexus was approaching a stop sign at the end of the 7th Avenue off ramp from the eastbound 60 Freeway when it hit a center median and went airborne. The Lexus then collided with the Toyota Tacoma, driven by Steward.
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The impact was so intense, the pickup truck's roof was ripped off, according to CHP.
"I heard the ugliest sound you could hear," Juan Castaneda, a witness, said. "Just grinding metal."
CHP said the Lexus flipped onto its roof and landed on a nearby Denny's restaurant parking lot. The woman and man inside the Lexus, identified as Key J. Kim, 68, and his passenger, Young A. Kim, 62, were suspended upside down before being extracted and transported to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
CHP is investigating why the black sedan was traveling so fast. Alcohol or drugs were not believed to be a factor.
City News Service contributed to this report.
