Final Victim Identified in Wrightwood Crash as Family Shares Heartbreaking Detail About His Future

The fourth and final person killed in a devastating single-car crash near Wrightwood, California, has been identified as 19-year-old Cole Torres — as loved ones revealed that he had only just learned he was about to become an uncle to a baby girl.

Torres died alongside three friends in the early-morning crash on September 4, which left two other people critically injured and has shaken the small mountain community where all six occupants lived.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner identified the four victims as Torres, 21-year-old Rebeka Citlali Cabral Gonzalez, 19-year-old Jason Potter and 20-year-old Nevaeh Harper.

Six Friends Were Traveling Along Highway 2

Torres died alongside friends Rebekah Cabral-Gonzalez, 21, Jason Potter, 19, and Nevaeh Harper, 20.Gofundme

The crash happened at around 1:30 a.m. on Highway 2, also known as Angeles Crest Highway, between Big Pines and Wrightwood near the eastern edge of Angeles National Forest.

According to preliminary findings from the California Highway Patrol, six people were traveling east in a black 2016 Hyundai Veloster when the vehicle left the roadway.

The car overturned, traveled down an embankment and collided with a power pole.

Five of the six occupants were ejected during the crash, according to the CHP. Four suffered fatal injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene, while the two survivors were taken to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in critical condition.

Authorities said preliminary findings indicated none of the six occupants was wearing a seat belt and that alcohol was likely a contributing factor.

The circumstances surrounding the crash remain under investigation.

Cole Torres Had Just Learned He Was Going to Be an Uncle

Six people were traveling in a 2016 Hyundai Veloster when the vehicle veered off Highway 2 and slammed into a utility pole around 1:30 a.m. on Sept. 4.ABC 7

As authorities released the victims’ identities, family and friends began sharing more about the young people whose lives were lost.

For Torres’ family, one recent moment has made the loss particularly painful.

A friend of his mother, Jillian LeAnn Torres, organized a fundraiser to support the grieving family, writing that “the pain is still so fresh.”

The fundraiser said Jillian remained in shock and was attempting to process a loss no parent should have to endure.

Only shortly before the crash, Cole had attended a gender reveal and learned that he was going to become an uncle.

The baby was a girl.

“Her son had just learned at a gender reveal that he was going to be an uncle to a baby girl, which makes this loss feel even more devastating for everyone who loved him,” the fundraiser said.

The milestone was supposed to mark the beginning of a new chapter for the 19-year-old and his family. Instead, it has become one of the memories loved ones are holding onto as they mourn him.

Friends Remember Jason Potter’s Energy and Talent

Officials said none of the passengers were wearing seatbelts and that alcohol was a “contributing factor” in the crash.NBC LOS ANGELES

Separate fundraisers were established for the other victims as their families and friends began paying tribute.

Potter, also 19, was remembered as an exceptionally talented snowboarder whose personality made an impression on the people around him.

A fundraiser honoring him described the teenager as someone whose energy and passion helped him connect easily with others.

“His infectious energy, his passion, and the way he connected with people made him someone who was deeply loved by his family, his friends, and so many in our community,” the tribute said.

Wrightwood sits near the Mountain High ski resort, and the surrounding mountain community has deep ties to outdoor sports.

Nevaeh Harper Remembered as a ‘Beautiful Daughter’

Harper was described as a “beautiful daughter.”

Harper, 20, was remembered by loved ones as a “beautiful daughter.”

Her death has affected a wide circle of relatives, friends and community members who knew her.

Cabral Gonzalez, 21, was similarly remembered for the warmth she brought to the people around her.

A tribute described her as a “bright light” and a free spirit with a strong love of life and the outdoors.

The four young adults were friends, and all were residents of Wrightwood.

A Small Mountain Community Left Mourning Four Young Lives

Potter was remembered as an “incredibly talented snowboarder.”

The scale of the tragedy has been especially painful for Wrightwood, a relatively small community in the San Gabriel Mountains.

Relatives began arriving at the crash site within hours of the accident. One woman told local media off camera that her nephew was among those killed and said the group had been out driving together.

In the days that followed, the names and photographs of the victims gradually became public as friends and relatives created fundraisers and shared memories of the four.

Torres was the final victim to be formally identified. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner reported that the 19-year-old died from blunt trauma.

The two surviving occupants were initially reported in critical condition after being taken to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. Authorities have not publicly provided a more recent update on their conditions.

Investigation Into the Crash Continues

Cabral-Gonzalez was remembered as “bright light, a free spirit with an incredible zest for life.

CHP investigators are still working to establish the complete sequence of events that caused the Hyundai to leave Highway 2.

The agency’s preliminary findings point to the lack of seat belt use among the occupants and indicate that alcohol was likely a contributing factor, but the investigation remains open.

Authorities have asked anyone who witnessed the crash or has information about it to contact the CHP’s Antelope Valley Area office.

For the families, however, the investigation is unfolding alongside a much more personal process of grief.

Four friends — Cole Torres, Rebeka Citlali Cabral Gonzalez, Jason Potter and Nevaeh Harper — were lost in a single night.

And for Torres’ family, the timing carries an especially painful reminder of the future he had expected to share with them: just before his death at 19, Cole had learned that a baby girl was on the way and that he was about to become an uncle.