Authorities identify Fillmore teen killed in Ventura crash

Staff reports

Authorities identified a teenage boy killed in a single-vehicle crash that police said involved alcohol and left the driver in critical condition early Friday in front of Ventura College.

The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office said Cecilio Ortiz Garcia Jr., 15, of Fillmore, died at the scene of the crash.

He was the front passenger when the vehicle slammed into a pole around 1:35 a.m. Friday at Telegraph Road and Claremont Way in Ventura, according to police.

Fillmore Unified School District Superintendent Adrian Palazuelos said students and staff members were saddened at Fillmore High School, where Garcia was a student.

Palazuelos said the district acted quickly to make counseling available to the teenager's classmates and friends “who, like us were grieving.”

After “we were made aware of the unfortunate loss” by a parent on Friday morning, Palazuelos said, getting a team available to help students was a top priority for the district.

More local vehicle crashes:

After the crash was reported, arriving Ventura Police Department officers found that the vehicle carrying five people had struck a traffic signal pole.

Police said they learned the vehicle was traveling east on Telegraph at a high speed before it left the roadway and hit the pole. No other vehicles were involved in the crash.

All five occupants of the vehicle were from Fillmore.

The driver, a 21-year-old man, was taken to Ventura County Medical Center in critical condition, police said. The three additional passengers, all 15-year-old boys, were taken to the hospital in serious condition, according to police.

Police said alcohol was a contributing factor in the crash.

The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information about the crash is asked to call 805-339-4474.