What to Know
- Two teens were killed in a crash on Roosevelt Boulevard Saturday night.
- The 19-year-old and 17-year-old victims were both ejected from their vehicle after crashing with another car at an intersection.
- A memorial was built for the teens and a candlelight vigil took place at 6 p.m. Sunday.
Friends and family are mourning two teenagers who died after they were ejected from a vehicle in a crash on Roosevelt Boulevard in Philadelphia Saturday night.
Bao Tran, 19, was driving a 2007 Nissan southbound at a high speed on Roosevelt Boulevard around 10:45 p.m. Nicholas Sy, 17, was his passenger.
The Nissan collided with a 1998 Subaru Legacy at the intersection of Roosevelt Boulevard and Deveraux Street. The collision caused the Nissan to veer right and crash into a tree and ultimately into a home on the 1500 block of Stevens Street.
The teens were ejected from the vehicle which also struck a parked and unoccupied 1997 Toyota Avalon. They were both pronounced dead at the scene.
Tran's brother told NBC10 the crash occurred about ten minutes away from their home. The family received a call and went to the accident scene Saturday night.
"We rush up there and last thing you know is I see him laying up there," his brother said. "My mom is devastated and I'm really missing him a lot right now."
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The driver of the Subaru Legacy, a 30-year-old man, was not hurt. His passenger, a 27-year-old woman, suffered minor injuries however.
Friends of the victims created a memorial for them at the crash site. They told NBC10 Tran and Sy were on their way home after getting something to eat at the time of the accident.
"He was a great guy," James Arena, who met Tran at a local car club a year ago, told NBC10. "Great kid. Take the shirt off his back for you. He helped me out a few times. I had a few problems with my car."
Other friends described both teens as funny and kind people who were always in a good mood. A candlelight vigil for the victims took place early Sunday evening. Some loved ones broke down crying while others said prayers and put down flowers in honor of the lives lost.
"It's good for me to let it all out with everybody," Lisa Nguyen, a friend of the victims, said.
Nearly 2700 crashes occurred on Roosevelt Boulevard between 2013 and 2017 and 25 percent of those crashes were fatal or led to serious injuries, according to PennDOT. Last year, 21 people died on the Boulevard, according to the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.
"Just a shame how people die every day on this Boulevard," Arena said. "They've got to do something about it."
Two weeks ago, city council approved speed cameras for Roosevelt Boulevard in an effort to make the road safer. Anyone caught driving more than 11 miles per hour over the speed limit on the road will face a fine.
