Friends, Family Remember 5 Teens Killed In Irvine Car Crash As Driver Arrested 1 Year Later
IRVINE (CBSLA.com) — The five Orange County teenagers killed in a fiery single-car crash in Irvine last year were being remembered on Monday by former teammates and friends as news spread that the driver of the car and sole survivor of the crash was arrested over the weekend.
Bradley Morales, 17, who was unlicensed at the time of the crash, was arrested on Saturday and charged with five counts of manslaughter. He's now being held at the Orange County Juvenile Detention Center.
The crash happened Oct. 4, 2014, as Morales and his five passengers were driving southbound on the 5 Freeway in Irvine as the group returned from a trip to Knott's Scary Farm.
The car veered off the road, crashed into a guard rail and up an embankment before erupting in flames.
The teenagers killed were all 14 or 15 years old. They were Mathew Melo, Brandon Moreno, Alex Sotelo, Jenny Campos and Jenny Bahena.
Former soccer teammates of Melo, Moreno and Sotelo said they still pray for their friends.
"Not a day goes by I don't think about them," said Billy McNicol, Program Director for Mission Viejo Soccer Club.
The team now wears jerseys with three stars above the club logo in memory of the teenagers.
