Oaks Christian 2019 graduates Ryan Breaux, Ezekial Bishop killed in Thousand Oaks crash
Two recent graduates of Oaks Christian School died in a violent crash early Sunday in Thousand Oaks.
As word of the incident spread, mourners stopped by the scene on Westlake Boulevard to pay their respects to the two men by leaving dozens of flowers. On Twitter, the private school's Lions football team identified them as former player Ezekial Bishop and Ryan Breaux.
"Devastated to hear about two recent #OaksChristian graduates who passed away in an early morning car accident today," the team's tweet read. "Praying for the families of these two young Kings: Ezekiel Bishop and Ryan Breaux."
The pair were also honored by school officials at a 2020 graduation ceremony held Sunday at the Ventura County Fairgrounds. In a livestream of the event, Head of School Rob Black could be heard asking those in attendance for a moment of silence in honor of two 2019 grads recently killed in a car crash.
On Tuesday, the Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed the identities of the two crash victims.
The driver of the vehicle was identified as Ezekial Bishop, 20, of Westlake Village, while the passenger of the vehicle was identified as Ryan Moore, 18, also of Westlake Village. Moore is the legal name for Breaux, according to the Medical Examiner's office.
The cause of death for Bishop was listed as blunt force injuries, while the cause of death for Moore was blunt force head injuries. Bishop was identified using fingerprint analysis and Moore was identified using dental records. Toxicology testing will be performed on both victims, officials said.
Through Black, Oaks Christian posted on its social media pages support for the men's families during this difficult time.
"The school community, through faculty, staff and leadership, has reached out to the families of both Zeek and Ryan to express our heartache and grief, pray with them and embrace them with love and compassion. We ask that our community join us in lifting these families up in prayer as they grieve the loss of these very special two young men," Black said in a statement.
Speed appears to have been a factor in the crash, according to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office. The wreck was reported about 1:30 a.m. Sunday on Westlake Boulevard, north of Skelton Canyon Circle, authorities said.
When sheriff's deputies arrived on scene they found a Tesla sedan fully engulfed in flames. The vehicle had also been ripped in half due to the force of the crash, sheriff's officials said.
Both men were pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.
The Tesla was traveling south on Westlake Boulevard and approaching Skelton Canyon Circle. It's unclear why, but the vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree in the center median, sheriff's officials said. No new information was released Monday.
The initials "R+Z" were later found carved into that same tree, with bouquets of flowers laid in tribute.
As a senior, Bishop helped Oaks Christian win the 2018 CIF-Southern Section Division 2 football and 2019 Division 4 boys track and field championships.
He starred at cornerback for the football team and won the high jump at the Ventura County championships and the 800 meters at the Marmonte League finals, earning a place on the Star’s All-County track and field team.
Competition was a joy for Bishop.
When the Lions beat Calabasas in a Marmonte League football showdown in Oct. 2018, Bishop told the Star’s Loren Ledin, “It was a fun matchup for us.”
When he leapt 6 feet and 2 inches to win the county championship in the high jump, Bishop told Ledin, “I had fun today.”
Bishop's athletic endeavors continued as a student at CSU Northridge, where he shared his competitive spirit and bright personality.
"We will all mourn the loss of Zeek," said the university's head track and field coach, Justin Johnson, in a statement. "Zeek had an incredibly bright personality and everyone loved him. He was a dedicated teammate, friend and a leader whose smile and laugh we will miss. I am still shocked and broken-hearted for his family, our team and his friends...and want them all to know that Zeek was a great athlete, but more importantly a great young man, and he will always be a Matador."
Bishop and Breaux’s former classmates and friends took to social media on Sunday, posting photos, videos and tributes, to share the joy of knowing them.
“I am unable to comprehend how a life so bright can be lost,” former Oaks Christian tennis star Chloe Bendetti posted on Instagram. “Every once in a while you come across a person in your life who’s light is indescribable. Zeek, I mean it when I say you are that indescribable light for so many... I have never met anyone who’s smile and laugh reached as many hearts as yours did.”
Staff writer Joe Curley contributed to this report.
Megan Diskin is a courts and breaking news reporter with The Star. Reach her at megan.diskin@vcstar.com or 805-437-0258.