Police believe drugs, alcohol, and speeding caused the fiery Cybertruck crash that killed three college students last year in the East Bay, officials announced Friday.
The vehicle struck a tree in Piedmont early in the morning of Nov. 27 and erupted in flames. Soren Dixon, 19; Jack Nelson, 20; and Krysta Tsukahara, 19, died from asphyxia and smoke inhalation and were severely burned. Toxicology reports first reported by The Standard found that all three had cocaine in their systems and blood alcohol concentrations more than twice the legal limit. The deaths were ruled an accident.
A fourth person was rescued by a bystander who had been following the Tesla and was taken to a hospital in critical condition.
The Piedmont Police Department said preliminary investigations by the California Highway Patrol and partner agencies have been completed. The police department’s investigation is ongoing, it said.
The victims graduated from Piedmont High School in 2023 and were home for the Thanksgiving break at the time of the crash. Dixon was a student at the University of Southern California, Nelson was at the University of Colorado Boulder, and Tsukahara was a sophomore at the Savannah College of Art and Design.
