Four Dead After Truck Flies off Coronado Bridge

Coronado Bridge (David McNew / Getty)
David McNew / Getty
Adelle Nazarian

A pickup truck swerved and drove over the San Diego-Coronado Bridge on Saturday, plunged over 60 feet, and landed onto a crowd, crushing and immediately killing four people who were attending the annual La Raza motorcycle event at Chicano Park.

“The car just came off the freeway and just landed right on top of him,” witness Jack Tellez told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “Everybody flipped the car off the bodies.”

An unnamed female witness who had also been attending the annual event said, “I saw a car fly right there, off the bridge… And then we felt the boom and pieces of car parts fell all over and I realized there were people right there where the car had fell. And I knew it was bad.”

According to local ABC affiliate 10News, the truck’s driver — identified as Richard Anthony Sepolio, 25 — was reportedly placed under arrest for suspicion of being under the influence of alcohol. According to the Union-Tribune, Sepolio, who is employed by the U.S. Navy and stationed in Coronado, asked witnesses to contact his commander at a nearby military base.

Although the names of the deceased were not immediately released, the California Highway Patrol said the victims were a man, 62, and a woman, 50, from Chandler, Ariz., and a man 59 and a woman, 49, from Hacienda Heights.

One woman reportedly suffered a compound fracture, with the bone showing.

Social media users took pictures and videos of the aftermath of the crash:

A memorial and vigil to honor the victim of the tragic incident was set up in the park by Saturday evening. People brought flower and lit candles. By nightfall, people were creating a memorial to the dead with candles and flowers.

 San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer sent a tweet out with his condolences to the families of the victims of Saturday’s tragedy:

Follow Adelle Nazarian on Twitter and Periscope @AdelleNaz

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