Dublin High School holds vigil to honor three teens killed in Christmas crash

A candlelight vigil will be held Sunday evening to remember three Dublin High School students killed in a crash near Pleasanton on Christmas night, according to Dublin Unified School District Superintendent Dave Marken.

In a message to students, their families and teachers, Marken said:

“Our hearts are absolutely broken for our students, families and Dublin High School staff. This is a devastating loss to our community and it is important that we remember to take care of one another during this critical time.”

Marken said the candlelight vigil will to celebrate, honor and remember the lives of Javier Ramirez, Mark Anthony Urista and Michael Angelo Urista, all 16, will be held at Dublin High School at 8151 Village Parkway at 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Marken told teachers:

“Please let your students know that they are important to us and we will have extra grief counselors and staff members available when they return to school on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020, to assist them in coping with this loss in our school community.”

The crash was reported shortly before 10 p.m. Wednesday, on Foothill Road just north of Castlewood Drive.

Five teens, including Ramirez and the Urista brothers, who were twins, were traveling in a car that had overturned and hit a large tree, according to the California Highway Patrol. Officers responding found that three people were trapped inside the car and two others had been ejected.

The driver and two passengers were pronounced dead at the scene, while two others were hospitalized with major injuries, the CHP said.

Investigators said the car was heading south on Foothill when, for unknown reasons, the vehicle crossed the northbound lane, hit a power pole and then the tree.

Marken said Dublin High School student Samantha Vargas Arceo has been identified as one of the two people hospitalized after the crash and asked that people keep Arceo and the other surviving teen “in your thoughts as they remain in the hospital.”

California Highway Patrol spokesman Tyler Hahn said the initial indication is that intoxication wasn’t a factor in the crash but a final determination won’t be made until there’s further investigation and the coroner’s report is completed.

A GoFundMe website for the three teens who died and the two who remain hospitalized had raised $65,000 of its $125,000 goal as of 11:30 a.m. on Friday.

The site identified the other teen who’s still in the hospital as Jared Reynoso, who is the cousin of the Urista twins.

The site is at https://www.gofundme.com/f/mark-and-michael-urista-financial-support.