Crime & Safety

Port Chester Teens Killed by Impact of Car Crash, Medical Examiner Says

The victims of the horrific car crash and fire on the Sprain Brook parkway Sunday were killed by the impact of the crash and likely dead before the fire started, the Westchester Medical Examiner's office said today.

 Port Chester's Juliana Restrepo and Fernanda Gomez were killed by “blunt force injuries” that occurred when the car they were in crashed on the Sprain Brook Parkway Sunday morning, the Westchester Medical Examiner’s office said today

The autopsies performed today of Restrepo, 18, and Gomez, 19, showed they were likely dead before the car caught on fire, authorities said. The third passenger, Vincent Mendoza, a 20-year-old of Norwalk, Ct, suffered fatal blows to his body and had a laceration to his liver, authorities said. The Medical Examiner would not report on the official cause of death of the driver, Bruno Vaccarezza, until they officially confirm his identity, which is expected to happen tomorrow.

Restrepro and Gomez were friends with each other but a family member told the Journal News that they did not think the girls knew Vaccarezza or Mendoza. 

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Restepro was planning to go back to school at Westchester Community College where she was studying psychology and art therapy next week, according to LoHud.com’s Theresa Juva-Brown and Cara Matthews. She liked music and hanging out with friends but did not drink, her brother told LoHud.  

Gomez’s sisters said in an email sent from Chile to TJN that they were heartbroken and described their sister as a “marvelous, very special girl.”  

Find out what's happening in Port Chesterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Mendoza, the 19-year-old passenger from Norwalk, reportedly celebrated the birth of a daughter one month ago and was also set to start WCC in the fall.  His family told LoHud that he was a happy, compassionate person who loved to joke and was thrilled to be the father to his daughter. 


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