FORT MYERS, FLORIDA: Five teenagers have been killed in Florida after their car crashed into Fort Myers Lake as four of the victims left their shift at a nearby steakhouse just moments before the tragedy. The single-vehicle wreck took place on Sunday night, June 25 when the car carrying the teens, all aged 18 to 19 sank in a retention pond.
According to the police, a total of three men and two women were found inside the car. A post shared by the Texas Roadhouse chain restaurant where the four teenagers worked revealed their identities as Amanda Ferguson, Breanna Coleman, Eric Paul, and Jackson Eyre. The fifth teenager was identified as Breanna's boyfriend, Jesus Salinas, according to Daily Mail.
Who was Amanda Ferguson?
Amanda Ferguson who has proclaimed herself as a comedian on her Instagram bio was attending school to become a teacher. In a heartfelt tribute to the teenager, her aunt Michael Noland wrote, "It breaks my heart, my niece was one of the teens in the car."
"We are crushed as a family, people always say you have to be strong, well I’m trying, I cannot right now," the aunt wrote on Facebook. In 2022, Ferguson graduated from Lehigh Senior High School. She was working at the local steakhouse where three other victims of the crash also worked either manning the to-go station or as hosts.
What led to the car crash?
The car carrying the five teenagers crashed into a retention pond off Top Golf Way located near Colonial Boulevard. The incident took place sometime between 10.00 pm Sunday and early Monday morning. The vehicle was later removed from the lake by the FMPD officers.
Talking about the investigation, FMPD detective Kyle Martin said, "The investigation is in its very infancy," and added, "We’re still completing an investigation, so there’s not a whole lot of details we can provide as far as the mechanisms or what happened at the moment, so that’s still ongoing." All five teenagers found inside the vehicle were pronounced dead.
One of their co-workers at the restaurant mourned the death of the teenagers. "For it to happen so close to us and kids this young who just graduated school, like their lives are barely just getting started and to have it taken away this soon is really, really unfortunate," Ibrahim Shaw told WINK News.
"They loved everyone around them. They loved their friends, family, and I know now they're looking down on us hoping that we do better for them and keep on pushing forward in life," he said.
