Inside the car, police found five teens "between 16 and 18 years old" with major injuries. They were all taken to a hospital, where one of the passengers was declared dead.
NOVATO, Calif. - One teenager was killed and several others were seriously injured in a suspected DUI solo car crash in Novato early on Saturday morning.
The crash
What we know:
Novato Police Department officers were sent just before 1 a.m. to the intersection of San Marin Drive and Simmons Lane on reports of a solo car crash and found the vehicle wrecked off the side of the road, according to a department statement.
Inside the car, police found five teens "between 16 and 18 years old" with major injuries.
They were all taken to a hospital, where one of the passengers was declared dead.
Three other victims were listed in critical condition as of Saturday evening, while the fourth was said to be in stable condition.
Novato police said the 17-year-old driver of the car was determined to be under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash.
Authorities did not say if the driver was arrested.
Students mourned
Dig deeper:
Neither the driver nor the victim were identified by authorities due to their age, but police said preliminary information indicated that the occupants of the car "were not from Novato."
However, the Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District said in a statement that four of the teens were Rancho Cotate and El Camino High School students, while the fifth is a "former Cotati-Rohnert Park student."
"The District is working swiftly to ensure that support is in place when students and staff return to campus on Monday," said Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District Superintendent Maité Iturri. "Grief counselors will be available at the affected schools, and Rohnert Park Public Safety will also be present on campus to assist the community through this difficult time. We encourage anyone who needs support to take advantage of these resources."
Anyone with information was asked to contact the Novato Police Department Traffic Section by calling 415-897-4361.
The Source: Novato Police Department, Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District