Friends and family were in disbelief when they gathered Friday night to remember the 21-year-old man who was killed in a street racing crash that early morning in Santa Ana.
Federico Hernandez, 21, was the passenger in 21-year-old John Nguyen's BMW that split in half when Nguyen lost control of the vehicle while he was racing with another motorist. Nguyen was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, according to Santa Ana police.
"It's surreal right now, it's getting really hard," Samuel Lopez said, in tears.
Police believe Nguyen, of Garden Grove, driving a red 2007 BMW 328i, was racing northbound on Fairview Street, possibly against a black or dark blue Dodge Charger with green underbody lights, when he lost control of his car after passing MacArthur Boulevard, the Santa Ana Police Department reported.
Nguyen's BMW struck two trees that lined the raised center median on Fairview Street. The impact caused the front end of the car to impale one of the trees, while the back portion of the vehicle, along with the two occupants, continued in a northwest direction. It came to rest on the west sidewalk of Fairview Street.
"I saw everything," said Manuel Ramirez, who also said they were all on their way home from a bar at around 12:30 that morning.
He said he was driving ahead of the pair until he says Nguyen sped by him.
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"He passed right next to me and when he passed by car shook," he said. "I saw the car ripping in half, the back end, what was left of it."
Ramirez said he rushed over to help his friends -- and watched Hernandez take his last breath.
"Just watching him die...I was holding him in my hands when he passed.
Officers were dispatched to the scene at 12:37 a.m., where Hernandez was pronounced dead at the scene. Paramedics rushed Nguyen to a hospital.
Police said alcohol was a factor in the crash.
Santa Ana police asked anyone with any information regarding the crash to call them at (714) 834-4211.
City News Service contributed to this report.
