A California man watched his wife and four children die in a fiery crash crash on Saturday, the New York Daily News reported.
The father, whose name has not been released, was driving a quarter mile behind the rest of his family. His wife and kids were traveling in their 2003 Ford Expedition when they were hit by a 2004 Nissan Quest minivan at an intersection around 7 p.m.
Though he rushed to the scene and tried to save them, his wife, 29-year-old Esmeralda Saucedo, and children -- 11-year-old Breanna, 6-year-old Jada, 3-year-old Nikko and 1-year-old Isaac -- all died.
"My husband ran out, he saw a car engulfed in flames and a man running around the car wanting to get his family out," Lori Pierce the Fresno Bee. "He was in such shock we just had to pull him away."
"Nobody was moving, nobody was screaming, nobody was crying," said Pierce's husband, Robert, adding the car was up in flames up to 15 feet high.
The victims, who were from Riverdale, were identified by family members.
The driver of the minivan was identified as 41-year-old Juana Martinez Bejarano, who was reportedly rushed to the hospital with serious injuries.
According to California Highway Patrol Officer Axel Reyes, the crash and the fire that resulted is being investigated by authorities. He also said that drugs, alcohol, and speed were not factors in the crash. However, Bejarano may have been on medication at the time.
Additionally, autopsies were expected to be performed by Sunday morning, Fresno County Coroner Dr. David Hadden said.
He added that the husband was driving in a different car to pick up another child, though it is not known if the child was a relative. The family was on their way to a restaurant to celebrate Issac's second birthday.
