Friend, classmate respond to death of Franklin teen in Thursday’s crash
Jan. 24, 2014 Update: News of 16-year-old Alonzo Perez’s death filled the halls at Franklin High School Friday with grief and sadness.
Perez was killed Thursday afternoon when the 2005 Volkswagen Jetta he was driving crashed into a traffic pole on the 1300 block of Resler Drive.
El Paso Police Department’s Special Traffic Investigations unit say Perez was racing an unidentified vehicle just before the crash at 4:24 p.m.
Investigators said his friend, 16-year-old Irvin Barba, was in the passenger seat before the accident. The two were transported to University Medical Center where Perez died of his injuries.
Perez’s friend and classmate, 17-year-old Bianca Troncoso, still can’t believe Perez is gone.
“We were really close … I had him for a class and I would love to go to that class because he would be there. He would always make me happy and he would protect me a lot,” Troncoso said.
“There have been a lot of crashes there,” Franklin student Pancho Dominguez said. “It’s about the third time that’s happened and the pole is the same thing that everyone crashes into.”
The car hit the pole at such a high rate of speed it split into multiple pieces. All that remains on the scene now is a small memorial at the base of the pole hit by the car Perez was driving.
“We want everybody to wear blue tomorrow. Everything’s different, like sad. It’s something we wish it’s not real,” Trancoso said. Although she will never hear Perez’s laugh again, she said she will never forget the great guy he was.
The other vehicle has been described as a possibly a silver in color Mitsubishi. The silver vehicle stopped momentarily after the Volkswagen struck the pole but then left the scene prior to officer’s arrival. STI is asking anyone with information regarding this collision to contact their office at (915) 564-7140. To remain anonymous call Crime Stoppers at (915) 566-8477.
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story had a different spelling for Irvin Barba that was incorrect and provided by police. EPISD confirmed the correct spelling.
Jan. 23, 2014 story: Two boys are in serious condition at University Medical Center Thursday night after crashing the vehicle they were riding into a traffic pole in the median of North Resler Drive.
El Paso Police Department spokesman Darrel Petry says the accident happened in the 1300 block of North Resler Drive, in between Black Ridge and Nardo Goodman, just before 4:30 p.m.
The preliminary investigation reveals the car was heading northbound when the driver somehow lost control and hit the pole. Witnesses reported seeing the green sedan racing with another vehicle that did not remain at the scene.
Emergency personnel responded to transport the driver and passenger from the northwest El Paso accident scene, according to an El Paso Fire Department supervisor.
