Couple Expecting Their First Child Among 4 Dead in Street-Racing Crash: Reports

A couple expecting their first child next month were among four killed in an alleged illegal street-racing crash in California.

In the Aug. 31 incident, Airyana Ruby Luna, who was pregnant, and fiance Valentino Miguel Ramos, 21, were killed on the 60 Freeway in Moreno Valley, CBS News reported. Three cars were racing when the crash took place.

A vehicle in the race lost control, hit a median, slammed into a guardrail before hitting a concrete median, and then it flipped over.

Polo Najera Perez, 21 and Rafael Ramirez Espinoza, were also killed in the crash, according to ABC7. The couple was sitting in the back seat of the car when the accident occurred. A 19-year-old woman was injured in the crash.

The Los Angeles Times reported that Espinoza, who was identified as the driver, and Perez were ejected from the car, a white BMW.

Before the accident, the couple had a baby shower, ABC7 reported. Their unborn son was due Oct. 12.

“She was excited for the baby. She was the kindest person, she had no bad intentions, very sweet and in love with Valentino,” Katrina Garcia, the pregnant victim’s aunt, told the Press-Enterprise. “They were a young couple in love.”

“She was just so full of life. She was ready to have her baby. She wanted to be a mom so bad and with the smile on her face, you could just see that she was ready,” her father, Aaron Luna, told ABC 7.

Police are now seeking the drivers of two other cars, which are a black Mazda hatchback and a gray or dark color newer Honda Civic, CBS Los Angeles reported.

A GoFundMe page was created for the couple to cover funeral costs. “They were both so young, but so in love and hopeful for their little family. This past weekend, they had their first baby shower where we all got to gather and celebrate the coming of their baby boy,” the page said.

It added: “Two lives have been cut short and one life never got the opportunity to blossom due to this tragedy.”

In the Aug. 31 incident, Airyana Luna, who was pregnant, and fiance Valentino Miguel Ramos, 21, were killed on the 60 Freeway in Moreno Valley, CBS News reported. Three cars were racing when the crash took place. (GoFundMe)

Street Racing ‘Out of Control’

In a March 2018 report, the LA Times noted that street racing in Southern California is “out of control.”

At least 179 people have died in Los Angeles County since 2000 in accidents linked to illegal street racing. “We have the locations. We have lots of flat street. We have industrial parks. And the Hollywood connection,” said Chief Chris O’Quinn, the head of the California Highway Patrol’s Southern Division in Los Angeles County. “This is the place to be.”

Overall, those who died were mostly male and young. More than half were aged 21 or younger, including two children who were aged 4 and 8. Less than half of the victims, or 47 percent, were driving the racing vehicles, the report stated.