A teenage driver was killed and her passenger was injured when their car crashed into a tree in Riverside late Sunday, police said.
The fatal crash happened about 10:45 p.m. in the area of Magnolia and Jones avenues when a gray 2003 Ford Mustang was racing a 2011 Chevrolet Camaro, the Riverside Police Department said in a news release.
“The Camaro appears to have turned in front of the Mustang, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle,” Riverside police Sgt. Ryan Taack said in a statement. “The Mustang continued off of the roadway and collided with a tree.”
The driver of the Camaro briefly stopped after the crash, but fled moments later.
The driver of the Mustang, who was identified only as a 17-year-old girl from Perris, was transported to a local hospital where she later died from her injuries.
A 17 year-old female passenger in the Mustang was also transported by ambulance to a local hospital with moderate injuries.
Taack said it is unknown if drugs and/or alcohol may have been a contributing factor in the crash.
Anyone with information about the collision is urged to call Riverside Police Traffic Detective G. Anderson at 951-826-8723 or ganders@riversideca.gov.