Two people died Tuesday morning after a Tesla crashed into a rock barrier and caught fire in Pelham Manor, near the Bronx border in New York. As reported by the New York Post, the accident happened around 9.15am after the car went through an intersection and hit a barrier.
Pelham Manor Fire Chief Michael Greco confirmed the death of the driver and passenger after firefighters extinguished the blaze. The identities of the victims have not been released.
It took about 20 minutes to put out the fire, but firefighters remained at the scene for several hours to remove bodies and secure lithium-ion batteries scattered along the road.
“We heard popping and we saw it was a Tesla so we knew the battery had been tampered with and was involved in the fire,” Greco said, adding that the ruptured battery helped put out the fire.
Video footage from a nearby service station showed the Tesla swerving through the intersection before hitting the rocks. The corner of the car was twisted.
“We heard a bang and we ran to the garage and the next thing we saw, we saw the car burning against the wall,” said Chris Ganpat, owner. Manor Auto Service Centresaid.
“I was very upset for the people inside, it’s Christmas time and I feel really bad for their family right now,” Ganpat added.
The incident follows a recent accident after a Tesla Cybertruck crashed in California last week, killing three people and seriously injuring one person.