Three Bodies Found in Burning SUV in Orange, California
Three bodies were discovered in a torched SUV in Orange, California, on Monday.
NBC News reports an Uber driver came across the flaming vehicle on a quiet residential street that afternoon. The identified witness tried to put out the blaze with a garden hose, to no avail.
"My first thought is to try and help," said the unidentified Uber driver, who was left stunned by the grim scene.
According to CBS News, the Orange Police Department said the incident occurred the driveway of a home on 500 block of East Oakmont Avenue near Shaffer Street. Investigators said that the three victims were all men -- two adults and a possible teenager. They were pronounced dead at the scene. One of the bodies was located in the passenger seat of the vehicle, with the other two in the backseat. The driver's seat was unoccupied.
Identification was initially difficult due to the extent of the burns on the bodies. Authorities are withholding the victims' identities from the media until the families are notified.
Police said they know the cause of the fire but are unsure if it was deliberate are not. They were unwilling to provide further details at that point.
Local residents said the vehicle was not recognized in the neighborhood.
One witness claimed to see the burning SUV come down the street before crashing into a curb. They said someone then fled the car on foot.
A search was conducted but no suspect was found.
Investigators determined the burned vehicle was registered to a dealership in local Ontario, but it's possible the plates may have been switched prior to the incident. Investigators have also gone door to door looking for other witnesses, or possible video footage of the event.
"These kinds of things just don't happen in the city of Orange, and they definitely don't happen in this neighborhood," Orange Police Department Lt. Fred Lopez said to CBS. "So it is upsetting to the neighbors here, and we completely understand that, and that's why we're all out here hoping to get this thing resolved quickly."
Subscribe to Latin Post!
Sign up for our free newsletter for the Latest coverage!
* This is a contributed article and this content does not necessarily represent the views of latinpost.com