Four teens killed in crash into pole, Iowa cops say. ‘Tragedy for our entire community’

Four teenagers from two sets of families were killed in a single-vehicle crash in Iowa, police say.

The crash happened around 11 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 4, in Marshalltown, about 50 miles northeast of Des Moines. The Marshalltown Police Department said first responders found the car on fire after it crashed into a utility pole.

All four teenagers in the car were pronounced dead at the scene.

Brothers Adrian, 13, and Isaac Lara, 16, were killed in the crash along with sisters Linette, 15, and Yanitza Lopez, 17, the police department said.

Marshalltown Police Chief Mike Tupper called the crash “one of the worst scenes he has seen,” KCCI reported.

“Our hearts go out to the Lara and Lopez families,” Tupper said in a statement. “This is a tragedy for our entire community. We know the community will stand strong in support of everyone affected.”

Adrian Lara attended Miller Middle School, and Isaac Lara and the Lopez sisters went to Marshalltown High School, the Marshalltown Community School District said.

School board representatives said the deaths of the teens “leave a significant gap in our community,” the Times Republican reported.

“I can’t imagine the sadness, the outrage that their families or loved ones are probably experiencing and will be experiencing for quite some time,” board president Sean Heitmann said, according to the Times Republican.

The Lopez sisters were inseparable, family members told WHO 13. Yanitza was an aspiring nurse who worked at an assisted living center and was a cheerleader with her sister, Linnette, WHO 13 reported.

A GoFundMe states the Lara brothers “were becoming amazing young men and will be dearly missed.”

This story was originally published November 8, 2022 at 1:20 PM with the headline "Four teens killed in crash into pole, Iowa cops say. ‘Tragedy for our entire community’."