2 dead after car slams into light pole, tree in New Jersey
GLEN RIDGE, New Jersey (WABC) -- A fatal single-car crash claimed the lives of two young men in New Jersey Monday night.
The fiery crash happened on Bloomfield Avenue between High Street and Hillside Avenue in Glen Ridge just after 10:30 p.m., and the destruction was so great authorities initially believed more than one vehicle was involved.
The 2008 Mercedes hit a light pole and a tree, scattering auto parts and debris along the crash scene.
The driver, 25-year-old Gabriel Flores, and his passenger, 20-year-old Carlos Nieves, were pronounced dead at the scene.
"It's a shock," Flores brother, Angel, said. "I don't know what to feel. You know, I don't...my mom is devastated. Heartbroken. But now I got to, you know, live. Without him. Every time I was in problems, he'll come. He'll come and always, you know, protect me. If I was in trouble, he'll come, help me, no matter what the problem was."
Nieves lived with his mom in Newark, where his building superintendent says Nieves was a kind person who was about to turn 21 on Friday.
The wreck took down trees and the light pole, prompting Bloomfield Avenue to be closed all night.
The cause of the crash has not been released.
Officials continue to investigate the crash site, and authorities told family members that speed may be a factor.
Flores's family had moved to New Jersey from San Bernardino, California, just five years ago, looking for a better life. Now, they are devastated.
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