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3 Bodies Found In Flaming SUV Rolling Down The Street
The bodies of three victims were found inside of a burning SUV that was seen drifting down the street of a quiet neighborhood in Orange County.
Around 2:15 p.m. on Monday, firefighters and police officers received reports of a burning vehicle on the 500 block of East Oakmont Avenue in Orange, reports CBS LA. A man told KTLA that they heard a popping sound and looked to see an SUV engulfed in flames slowly drifting down the street, which then jumped the curb and came to a stop partially on his lawn and driveway. With the help of his son, the man—who wished to remain anonymous—grabbed a garden hose and fire extinguishers and attempted to put the fire out. He told KTLA that he could see bodies in the vehicle as they tried to extinguish the flames. The OC Registerreports, however, reports that it was Uber driver Albert Riley—who had been parked nearby—that grabbed a neighbors garden hose to put out the fire after he saw a woman yelling about the vehicle.
When firefighters arrived to completely put the fire out, three bodies were discovered inside the SUV. Investigators were at first unable to identify the genders of the victims as they were so severely burned, but ultimately determined that all three were male. Investigators told CBS LA that two bodies belong to adults, and the third may belong to a teenager. Their identities have not been released pending family notification.
Investigators are now trying to determine the cause of the fire and whether or not the victims had died before the vehicle caught fire. "We don't know where the fire fits in to all of this -- if it was as a result of the accident, or it was an intentional act," Orange police Lt. Fred Lopez told KTLA.
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Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact the Orange Police Department (714) 744-7444.
Update 3:40 p.m.: Police are now looking for the driver of the vehicle, after witness said they saw someone running from the vehicle, according to ABC 7.
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