According to a news release issued by the Orange Police Department, Azarie Fuller was driving a 2005 Nissan Altima with six other passengers. At about 2:45 a.m., officers conducting a traffic stop at Lincoln Avenue and Glassell Street spotted the car speeding south on Glassell Street and “tried to catch up,” said Sergeant Phil McMullin of the Orange Police Department. . The Altima “struck guardrails and signal lights associated with a railroad crossing,” said Sgt. None of the seven passengers in the car were wearing seat belts. Fuller and the passengers were all ejected from the vehicle. When officers arrived at Glassell Street and Taft Avenue, the sedan was engulfed in flames. A nitrous oxide tank and balloons were found “in and around the vehicle,” McMullin said. “When people put nitrous oxide in a balloon, it creates a temporary high and can cause harm,” he said. “In this case, we believe it may have been used or contributed to the collision.” Three people were pronounced dead at the scene, including a young man, a 14-year-old girl and a 26-year-old man identified as Gustavo Castro of Garden Grove. Paramedics rushed four people, including Fuller, to hospitals. “He’s in critical condition,” McMullin said. “He is currently at a local hospital and based on the evidence and statements we received, we believe he was impaired and that was likely a factor in the crash along with speed.” Three were seriously injured and one had moderate injuries, McMullin said. According to the investigators, two of the three injured were minors. “We certainly know speed is a factor,” McMullin told reporters at the scene of the crash. “We also believe they used nitrous oxide, based on the tanks and balloons found at the scene, the driver was impaired.” Investigators also believe that alcohol and drugs may have also played a role in the accident in addition to speeding. Meanwhile, some of the devastated family members of the victim were spotted grieving at the scene on Saturday afternoon. A witness said he was left shaken by the crash. “I’ve never seen that before,” Joshua Ellis said. “It was shocking to see that fire at a railroad crossing. I’d never seen it before. The car when I met it, it was on its side. Flames were shooting up in the air. Black smoke everywhere. The smell of burning metal and rubber and everything, what was everywhere.” Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Orange Police Department at (714) 744-7444. City News Service contributed to this report. Copyright © 2022 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.
