Two young people killed, four injured in Taunton crash

By Gal Tziperman Lotan and Travis Andersen, Globe Correspondent and Globe Staff

TAUNTON -- An early-morning car crash here claimed the lives of two teenagers and left four other young people injured, police said.

The single-vehicle crash occurred shortly before 12:30 a.m. near 1861 Bay St. Firefighters had to use the Jaws of Life to remove the driver of the 2001 Honda Accord, Nicholas Costa, 24, and his five passengers, Taunton police said. All of the victims are city residents.

Police Lieutenant Paul Roderick told reporters at the scene that the Accord is owned by the father of Costa’s front-seat passenger, Eden Macedo, 18, who was taken to Morton Hospital along with a back-seat passenger, Jason Neto, also 18.

Macedo and Neto were later pronounced dead at the hospital.

Costa and the surviving passengers, identified as Ashley Rivera, 18, Jose Rodriguez, 21, and Chelsea Crancha, 18, were taken to the trauma unit of Rhode Island Hospital, police said.

A hospital dispatcher said that Rivera and Crancha were both listed in fair condition this afternoon, and Rodriguez was in good condition. The dispatcher had no information on Costa’s condition.

Roderick said the group had tried to get into a club in Rhode Island on Saturday night and were denied entrance, so they headed back to Taunton. He did not identify the club or say why they were barred from entering.

He said no charges or citations had been issued as of this afternoon. Police found a quart of raspberry-flavored vodka inside the car that was about two-thirds empty, he said, but officers have not yet determined whether alcohol was a factor in the crash.

“The road was a little slippery last night,” he said. “Speed was definitely a factor.”

Roderick said nobody in the car was wearing a seat belt.

Police remained on scene today taking photographs of the crash site, which was littered with debris near a group of tall trees by the side of the road. Part of a white fence was also demolished.

Brendon DaRosa, 18, and his brother, Sean, placed flowers this afternoon by the tree that the car had struck.

The brothers appeared to kneel in prayer at the scene. Brendon DaRosa later said that he grew up with Neto.

“He was just always a happy person, and he’d do anything to make anyone smile,” he said.

DaRosa said that Neto had been working at a landscaping company, and that the two shared a love of soccer. Their fathers were also close, DaRosa said.

Neighbor Ed Lamarsh said the crash woke him up and he looked out his window to see the red Honda wedged against a tree. He said he also saw two people being placed into ambulances, but they did not appear to be seriously hurt.

Lamarsh said many people drive fast down the street when they come off of Interstate 495.

“It’s fast here,” he said. “Too fast.”

Another neighbor, Robert Dias, 81, said several police cruisers responded to the accident and rerouted traffic while they investigated.

“They were there all night long, just about,” Dias said.

Dias said his son went outside to see what happened and later told him that he had seen one person lying motionless on the ground.

Howard Gould, 70, said he came home with his wife about an hour after the crash to find the car had taken out part of his white post and rail fence, his mailbox, and two decorative bushes. He said he parked in his neighbor’s driveway while police investigated.

“We just quietly went in our house,” Gould said. “There was nothing else we could do.”