Car Crash Leaves Three Long Island Teenagers Dead

Authorities have identified three teens who died when the car they were in crashed in a wooded area in Holtsville, Long Island, on Wednesday night, Dec. 21, New York Post reported.

According to Suffolk County police, the 2009 Infiniti G37 was involved in a tragic crash in Holtsville that caused the 16-year-old unlicensed driver and one of the passengers to be ejected from the vehicle.

Police were informed by witnesses that the car looked to be speeding when it crashed at 9:45 p.m. and overturned many times.

Cem Gunes, a resident of Holtsville, was operating his mother's vehicle while merely holding a learner's permit, according to the police.

Authorities reported that Gunes and the two passengers, Landon Kromhout Auditore, 18, of Mastic, and Taylor Beltramini, 17, of Moriches, were pronounced dead at the site. There was nobody else in the automobile.

Given that Gunes and Beltramini were thrown from the automobile, according to the police, it seems improbable that they were wearing seatbelts. It's unknown if Auditore, who stayed in the vehicle following the collision, was wearing one.

“Witnesses tried to assist in every way possible,” Suffolk Police Department Insp. Darrell Simmons told reporters Thursday, Dec. 22, according to Newsday. “It was a horrific accident and I’m sure they did everything they could.”

Gunes was not supposed to be operating the vehicle without an adult who was at least 21 years old and had a driver's license, according to the police, as he only had a learner's permit.

According to the media, Gunes' girlfriend, Adriana Barrington, described herself as "speechless" as she gathered some of his items at the crash site on Thursday, including a notebook and a sneaker.

“I was supposed to spend all of Christmas break with him and now he’s just, he’s gone,” she told the station.

According to school officials, all three of them attended high schools in the area with Beltramini and Auditore supposed to graduate in January and June, respectively.

Police are still attempting to pinpoint the exact speed, direction, and origin of the vehicles as well as any additional factors that may have contributed to the collision.

“It’s terrible. We’re all parents; we have young kids that drive,” Simmons reportedly said. “It’s an absolute tragedy, especially around Christmas.”