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2 Teens Killed, 3 Hurt After Dump Truck Crashes Into Car In Cajon Pass

CAJON PASS (CBSLA.com) — Two teenagers were killed and three others were injured when a dump truck crashed into a vehicle in the Cajon Pass late Tuesday night, authorities said.

Just before midnight, the truck, which was traveling on the southbound off-ramp of the I-15, struck a PT Cruiser going westbound on Highway 138, investigators said.

"It appears that the dump truck rolled the PT Cruiser and then landed on top of it," Joy Sepulveda of Caltrans said.

Five people, who either graduated or attended Serrano High School in Phelan, were in the PT Cruiser.

Nicole Lyle, 18, and John Cabrera, 16, were pronounced dead at the scene.

Paramedics took Michael Baker, 20, David Castaneda, and Shayne Gretzner, 19, to the hospital.

Gretzner has since been released.

Friend Adam Brown said Gretzner told him he did not see the dump truck stopping as it came down the off-ramp.

"I'm just still trying to process everything," Brown said.

Cabrera's grandmother, Rene Myer, was surrounded by family as she visited the crash site.

"This was the last place he was; the last place he's known to be on Earth. He was a good boy. Loved to ride motorcycles. Little bit of a daredevil, I have to say," she said. "As a baby, when he used to like chips, he'd call them 'chippies.' Just little things like that. He was just a really good kid."

Loved ones said Cabrera and Lyle shared a passion for riding dirt bikes.

"They were the greatest, the most beautiful friends you can have," Joey Pinela said.

The dump truck driver, who was working as a subcontractor for Caltrans, was not injured.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

A vigil will be held in front of Serrano High at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

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