Bronx crash: Racing being questioned after 2 die in fiery collision on Bronx expressway
PELHAM BAY, Bronx (WABC) -- Two people were killed when a speeding vehicle flipped into oncoming traffic on the Bruckner Expressway and exploded in flames, setting multiple vehicles ablaze -- and now racing is being questioned.
It happened just before midnight Tuesday at Country Club Road in the Pelham Bay section of the Bronx.
The driver and a passenger in a southbound vehicle were killed when it struck a utility pole, sending it out of control.
The vehicle flipped into the northbound lanes, where it struck three other vehicle and burst into flames.
Five people in the other vehicles survived the crash.
WATCH: Fiery fatal crash creates traffic mess in Bronx
Two were taken to St Banabas Hospital with minor injuries. Three others refused medical treatment.
One man at the scene said his 18-year-old nephew and girlfriend were killed in the crash.
"He liked racing and stuff," the man told Eyewitness News. "So I guess he raced right here. And he crashed, it was a four-car crash. Him and his girlfriend passed away, they died. It was a big fire.
The man said his nephew liked to race for money.
"I want to tell the young people, don't race," he said. "It's not cool."
As the NYPD highway patrol investigated Tuesday morning, neighbors told Eyewitness News racing is a problem not just on the highway, but also on side streets.
The names of the victims have not yet been released.
The Bruckner Expressway was closed in both directions for hours approaching Country Club Road.
Southbound traffic was moving again by 5:30 a.m., but the northbound lanes weren't reopened until just before 7 a.m.
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