Passenger identified in Christmas Eve crash

Huntington Beach resident Ralph Abinader was killed Dec. 24 after the driver of the Ferrari he rode in crashed into a tow truck on East Coast Highway in Newport Beach.

The driver, whose name has not been released, was going westbound on East Coast Highway, near Jamboree Road, in a Ferrari at an excessive rate of speed when he jumped the center divider and crashed head-on into the tow truck that was driving eastbound, said Newport Beach Sgt. Steve Burdette.

The Ferrari split into two and caught fire.

Abinader was killed at the scene, and the male driver was transported to Western Medical Center with critical injuries, after firefighters rescued him from the car.

He remains in a critical condition, Burdette said.

The male driver and female passenger of the tow truck sustained minor injuries and were taken to Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian for their injuries, Burdette said.

— Mona Shadia