Unlicensed teen driver killed as speeding SUV flips onto its side in crash along busy east El Paso street

EL PASO, Texas -- A speeding 19-year-old unlicensed motorist was killed in a Thursday afternoon crash that flipped his SUV along a busy east El Paso street, police said Friday.

Authorities identified the teen killed as Esteban Herrera and said he was the city's second traffic death of the new year. Police also confirmed to ABC-7 on Friday that Herrera did not have a valid driver's license at the time of the crash.

The deadly collision happened shortly before 1:30 p.m. Thursday on Gateway West at Pendale; the severely damaged vehicle could be seen sitting on its side next to a utility pole.

A police spokesperson said Friday that Herrera was speeding when he cut from one lane into another, clipped and spun a car and then lost control his SUV. The SUV skidded before rolling over and "then collided into a rock wall, and eventually struck a light pole."

Herrera died at the scene; firefighters had to extricate Herrera's body from the mangled wreckage of his SUV.

Herrera's girlfriend Nayley Madrid was mourning his loss on Friday.

"He was the perfect angel, he was the most beautiful person I ever met," she said. "He liked to work hard and always liked to be better and do better."

Herrera's family said they had set up a GoFundMe account to help pay for the teen's funeral expenses.