A Rancho Cucamonga community is in mourning Saturday after a car crash claimed the lives of a brother and sister late Friday afternoon.
Elias Cruz, 17, and Sarah Cruz, 14, were killed when Elias, who was driving home from practice, lost control of the car at around 4:25 p.m. Friday before crashing into a power pole and then a tree near Wilson and Haven Avenues.
Both teenagers, student-athletes at Los Osos High School, were pronounced dead at the scene.
A third person, identified only as a 17-year-old, was also in the vehicle. He was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
In the wake of the unthinkable, Elias and Sarah’s father, Rey Cruz, spoke to KTLA’s Omar Lewis on Saturday morning as a large crowd gathered at the crash site to pay their respects.
“They were our everything,” Rey said. “They were the reason we wake up in the morning, for our kids. They’ll still be the driving force in our lives going forward.”
Elias was a junior and played for the Los Osos baseball team. Sarah was a freshman who played volleyball and softball at the school.
Hundreds of friends, family, classmates and the Los Osos High School community gathered in support of the Cruz family on Saturday. A makeshift memorial could be seen where visitors stopped by all day. Some were filled with tears while others were heard saying prayers.
People who attended the vigil said the loss of the Cruz siblings will be deeply felt by the community.
“We didn’t sleep last night,” said an attendee. “I mean, everybody has just been up and in tears because you don’t expect something like this to happen.”
Rey said all his son wanted in life was to be included as the massive crowd on Saturday showed the community’s love for the pair of teens.
The Cruz family had also been planning Sarah’s quinceañera which was supposed to take place in June.
“I spoke with the crowd earlier and I said I appreciated the support,” Rey said. “I reminded everybody, the parents and the kids, let’s be an inclusive group, not an exclusive group. Let’s not let this be in vain, let’s learn from it.”
The thing Rey said he will miss most about his children surprised him, he said.
“I’m going to miss their fighting,” he said with a smile and a laugh. “The noise when you hear them going upstairs, one goes into the other one’s room and them fighting and yelling — don’t take it for granted.”
A GoFundMe page was created to help the Cruz family with funeral costs.
A second vigil scheduled for March 11 at 6:30 p.m. will be held at Village Park in Fontana, a place where the Cruz siblings played baseball growing up.
The cause of the deadly crash remains under investigation. Anyone who may have witnessed the collision is asked to call Rancho Cucamonga Police at 909-477-2800.