5 Teens Dead, Including 4 Co-Workers, After Car Crashed into Florida Pond: ‘Tragic Loss’

The victims have been identified by police as Eric Paul, 19, Jackson Eyre, 18, Amanda Ferguson, 18, Breanna Coleman, 18, and Jesus Salinas, 18

A Florida community is mourning the deaths of five teens who were found in a submerged car as a result of a crash.

The five teens were involved in a “single vehicle traffic crash” along Top Golf Way in Fort Myers late Sunday night, which resulted in their car becoming submerged in a retention pond, according to a statement from the Fort Myers Police Department.

FMPD spokesperson Kristen Capuzzi said the teens seemingly lost control of a black Kia sedan before crashing into the retention pond, according to The Fort Myers News-Press. All five victims were pronounced dead at the scene.

Officers with the FMPD responded to the scene after 4 a.m. local time on Monday after learning that the parents of the victims told authorities that their children had not come home from work at a Texas Roadhouse about a half mile from the crash site, CBS affiliate WINK-TV reported.

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The FMPD has identified the victims as Eric Paul, 19, Jackson Eyre, 18, Amanda Ferguson, 18, Breanna Coleman, 18, and Jesus Salinas, 18.

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life,” the department said in a second statement shared Tuesday morning.

Four of the teens — Eric, Jackson, Amanda and Breanna — were employees at the Texas Roadhouse on Dani Drive, according to the News-Press.

All four teens worked on Sunday, Alan Hansen, market partner for nine Texas Roadhouses in Florida, told the outlet. Two of them finished early and returned to pick up the others so they could pick up fast food, he said.

"They were leaders in our restaurant," Hansen said. "They knew how to be great examples."

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Texas Roadhouse offered its condolences to the victims’ loved ones in a statement shared on Facebook. “We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of four of our Roadies. Our team is grieving alongside their families and friends,” the company said.

The restaurant served as “a place of comfort for many” of the victims, Hansen said, per WINK-TV. Flags at the business were flown at half-staff on Monday, and each of the teens’ photos were displayed at a memorial outside.

“We just want to recognize their lives and the good that they’ve done in our society and in our group here at Texas Roadhouse,” Hansen explained.

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The four teens were recent high school graduates, according to WINK-TV. Paul, Eyre, Coleman and Ferguson received diplomas from East Lee County High, South Fort Myers High, Gateway High and Lehigh Senior High, respectively.

Victor Ayala, Coleman’s cousin, told NBC affiliate WBBH-TV that Breanna had celebrated her high school graduation the previous week. “She was very smart too, happy that she was going to go to college,” Ayala said.

Lylah, a friend of the victims, told WINK-TV that she would sit with Jackson at lunchtime. “He was so funny, and Amanda too,” she recalled.

“[She was] so funny and bubbly, she made the whole place light up,” Lylah added.

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An investigation into the crash is ongoing. FMPD detective Kyle Martin said the inquiry is still in its “infancy,” according to WINK-TV.

Meanwhile, those who knew the victims are still processing the tragedy. "We're allowing ourselves to grieve and move forward," Hansen told the News-Press.

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