3 Piedmont High grads die in fiery Cybertruck crash, sources say

PIEDMONT, California – Three people died early Wednesday and one person was taken to the hospital in a fiery Cybertruck crash in Piedmont, a day before Thanksgiving.

Two sources told KTVU that all four were 2023 graduates from Piedmont High. Two victims who died were men and a third was a woman.

A steady stream of well-wishers, friends and residents paid their respects at the scene of the accident on Wednesday. Many were in tears as they hugged and comforted each other.

Stacy Martin burst into tears at the scene when she heard about the victims, some of whom she had taught in middle school – and one in elementary school.

“So terrible,” Martin said. “They all have wonderful families.”

She added: “When you know them, it just makes it worse. But I just can’t imagine for their parents and their siblings,” she said, crying.

Police Chief Jeremy Bowers did not immediately discuss any details about the victims.

But he outlined what happened, beginning at 3:08 a.m., when police were first alerted to the tragic scene.

When officers arrived at Hampton Road and King Avenue, they found a Cybertruck fully engulfed in flames.

Bowers said emergency crews tried to put out the fire with fire extinguishers, but the intensity of the flames was too hot.

It’s not clear what happened to the Cybertruck or what it hit, though Bowers said speed was likely a contributing factor.

The Cybertruck ended up wedged between a tree and a retaining wall.

Bowers said a young man had been following the Cybertruck – it was unclear what his relationship was to the four in the car – and that when it went off the road, he got out of his own car to pull one of the people out of the vehicle.

That man was taken to the hospital with serious injuries, Bowers said, and the other three people were pronounced dead.

Bowers said it’s possible the young man and the four in the Cybertruck had been to an event together beforehand.

“The solo vehicle that was involved in the crash, there was another vehicle that came after it that followed and hit the vehicle when it was fully engulfed,” Bowers said. “The person exited the car and was able to pull the person out, but the nature of the vehicle was a Cybertruck and the heat was just too intense.”

Shortly after, two adults came to hug the young man, who appeared to be in his 20s.

Piedmont police and firefighters as well as the California Highway Patrol were on the scene. The CHP investigates all fatal accidents in Piedmont.

No further details were immediately provided. Bowers did not release any information about the victims out of respect for their families.

“This is just a tragic loss of life,” Bowers said. “We do not know the cause of the collision, and during the holiday season, our hearts go out to the families who will have to deal with this tragedy.”