19-year old David Diachenko crashed his car into Mahopac High School, his former school. Authorities say he was driving so fast he went airborne before hitting the school building.
Diachenko was alone in the car at the time, and no one else was injured.
There were no skidmarks on the ground, and no indication as to why Diachenko crashed, according to police.
Accident reconstructionists are doing the math and the calculations to figure out just how fast the Diachenko's BMW was going, where it went airborne, and how it smashed into the school's façade.
The larger mystery is why Diachenko crashed into his former high school. The large hill on Gleneida Boulevard provided tremendous velocity.
Neighbor Ralph Bortugno said he heard the noise around 11:30 Friday night. He says fatal crashes involving teens in the area is an epidemic.
"I didn't hear the breaks, I didn't hear anything other than a thud; it was eerie," says Bortugno, "If you would take a compass and do a 2-mile radius of this school, I bet you ten kids have gotten killed by car accidents, whether they were drug-related, or high speed."
Assistant Fire Chief Brian Sacher of Mahopac Falls Fire Department says engineers are examining the structural integrity of the high school, and it appears its major supports have not been compromised.
"We wanted to make sure that the structure was at least sound, and that there wasn't going to be a collapse," adds Sacher.
In the shadows of pain, Diachenko's friends are grappling with an unexpected and violent loss. No one would speak on camera, saying they were hurt and confused. Huddling together in grief, they hope to find solace.
It will take several days before investigators have toxicology results, which will tell them whether drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash.
Officials tell Eyewitness News that school will likely resume on Monday.
