Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - An early morning rollover accident near the Route 198 ramp in Buffalo on Monday has left four teenagers dead, and one other teenager hospitalized at ECMC.
"At approximately 6:40 this morning, Buffalo Police, Buffalo Fire responded to an accident on the 198 westbound entrance from the 33 inbound. The vehicle had six occupants that resulted in three fatalities on scene, one additional fatality was at ECMC. One of the passengers was moved to ECMC and, unfortunately, passed at the hospital," said Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia on Monday.
Of the two remaining occupants of the vehicle, one is still in the Trauma Intensive Care Unit at ECMC.
The other individual - a 16-year-old male from Buffalo - has been identified as the driver of the vehicle, and is currently in Buffalo Police custody. According to Erie County District Attorney John Flynn, the teen was being charged, as of Monday afternoon, and is likely to face one or two charges, at most, as the investigation into the accident continues.
"If only one charge is filed this afternoon or this evening, don't be surprised, because we just want to get one charge on him. It probably is not going to be a qualifying offense anyway, so it's probably not going to matter, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there," said District Attorney Flynn on Monday. "Again, it's an extremely sad morning in the City of Buffalo when you lose four young lives in a horrific accident like this. Now we need to do a thorough investigation to find out what happened, and what the appropriate charges are against the driver of this vehicle."
According to Commissioner Gramaglia, the vehicle that was involved in the accident - WBEN has learned to be a Kia Sportage - was reported stolen out of Buffalo Sunday night at approximately 8 p.m. ET.
"We believe, our accident investigators believe that excessive speed played a significant factor in this accident. And for all of you that know the 33 inbound, when you're taking that 198 westbound, there are a bunch of sand barrels, flashing lights, other D.O.T. markers that signify the turn, along with a reduced speed signage. When you're traveling at an excessive speed going into that turn, that vehicle crashed into the wall."
Of the six occupants in the car, five of them were ejected from the vehicle. According to Gramaglia, all five occupants were ejected through the glass roof of the vehicle. The driver was the only occupant who was not ejected from the vehicle.
The teenagers involved in the accident are said to be between the ages of 14 and 17-years-old. Buffalo Police says it is still working on identifying all the occupants, but has confirmed the identity of several of the occupants and the deceased. Once all the information has been confirmed and the families have been notified, then at some point, more information will be released.
While the investigation continues, Buffalo Police worked into the afternoon hours going over the crash and the moments leading up to the accident. The ramp connecting Route 33 to Route 198 re-opened at around 1:45 p.m. ET after being closed for some time.