Freeway Race Ends in Death

A race on the Riverside Freeway in Buena Park late Tuesday left one man dead after the car he was riding in slammed into a wall and he was hit by two cars after getting out of the vehicle, police said.

Chad Mester, 18, of Long Beach died at the scene of the accident, which occurred near Beach Boulevard shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday and closed several lanes in both directions.

Mester was riding in a 1993 Toyota driven by an unidentified 18-year-old Cypress man, who lost control of the car and rammed into the divider, California Highway Patrol Officer Denise Quesada said.

Mester was killed when he got out of the mangled vehicle in the carpool lane and was struck by a 1999 Mercedes-Benz traveling about 65 mph, Quesada said. The teen was thrown into the opposing carpool lanes, where he was hit again, this time by a Chevrolet van traveling about 60 mph.

Witnesses told police that the Toyota was among about a half a dozen cars racing on the freeway at speeds in excess of 100 mph. None of the other vehicles involved in the drag race stopped after the accident.

“Any time you race on public roads, you put yourself and the innocent public at risk,” Quesada said. “They were taking a big chance.”

Three people were hospitalized, including the driver of the Toyota, who suffered major injuries.

No arrests have been made, but the investigation is continuing.