One of the three people killed in a Tesla Cybertruck crash in Piedmont early Wednesday morning was a University of Southern California student, the university confirmed Saturday.
The University of Southern California has not released any further details about student Soren Dixon, who was in the car with three others when it hit a tree and burst into flames.
Piedmont Police Lt. Chris Monahan said the Tesla “jumped the curb, struck a cement wall and became wedged between the wall and a tree.” Police said speed was likely a factor in the single-vehicle accident, but the investigation continues.
The California Highway Patrol is investigating.
Dixon’s Linkedin page listed him as a graduate of Piedmont High School and majoring in biological sciences at the University of Southern California.
The identities of the other two people who died have not yet been released by authorities. They were also reported to be Piedmont High School’s Class of 2023.
A memorial was dedicated to the victims of the Tesla Cybertruck crash in Piedmont, California, on Friday.
(Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle, via AP)
Samantha Miller, the mother of the fourth Tesla occupant who was pulled from the car by another driver, told CBS News in the Bay Area that the other two crash victims were from Colorado and Georgia. He said they were college students Jack Nelson and Christa Tsukahara.
Miller told CBS News that her 20-year-old son, Jordan Miller, returned to surgery on Friday. Miller could not be reached Saturday.
Mohahan said on Saturday that the fourth person injured in the accident was in serious but stable condition.
Piedmont Unified School District Superintendent Jennifer Horn said in a statement that school officials were surprised and saddened by the news.
“At this time, we are unable to release any information about who was affected by the accident other than the fact that the students graduated in 2023. However, the loss of a young life is a profound tragedy. The holiday season adds to the challenge,” Horn said. “Our deepest sympathies go out to the families and loved ones affected by this tragedy.”
Piedmont Police Chief Jeremy Bowers said dispatchers received an iPhone alert from a passenger in the Cybertruck around 3:08 a.m. that day. The Tesla crashed and was engulfed in flames by the time officers arrived at the scene, Bowers said.
“While we do not know the cause of the crash, our hearts go out to the families who will face this tragedy during the holiday season,” Bowers said.
Bowers could not be reached for comment Saturday, nor did Piedmont High School’s principal or Piedmont Mayor Jen Kavenaugh.
On Thursday, Kavenaugh participated in Piedmont’s annual Turkey Trot and urged area residents to remember the three murdered high school graduates.
“Things like this should not happen in our community,” she said. “We don’t have a practice field for this, we don’t have a rulebook on how to play today’s game. I went to bed last night thinking that maybe there would be words for what to say today. I realized there were no words that could bring us back.”
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