It’s been five days since Rangel Vega and Alejandro Luquin left their Van Nuys church for dinner down the road.
The young men, who have been close friends since high school, never arrived at the restaurant. The pair were making a left turn into a parking lot when a Mercedes-Benz GT63 crashed into the passenger side of their Honda Civic. The impact of the collision shattered Vega and Luquin’s car.
Paramedics took the seriously injured Vega and Luquin to the hospital in critical condition. While Luquin continues to recover after multiple surgeries, Vega died a day after arriving at the medical center.
“I’ll never forget what they looked like,” said friend Ana Contreras, who was sitting in a car directly in front of the two friends. “I was so scared.”
Los Angeles police said the Mercedes driver was racing a Rolls Royce Cullinan when the collision occurred. The other alleged street racer swerved to avoid the collision, but drove into oncoming traffic and struck a Chevy Traverse. The driver parked the car on the sidewalk.
“It was just heartbreaking,” said friend Sebastian Figueroa. “I was in disbelief. I just couldn’t believe it was real.”
Figueroa and Contreras described Vega as a peaceful and quiet person who was full of love.
“He has two younger brothers and two younger sisters, and the way he was with them you can tell how much he loved them,” Figueroa said. “He brought that same love to all the youth here in our ministry.”
Vega and Luquin joined the Church a few years ago and have impressed everyone they meet. The pair helped mentor young children and organized fundraisers. Youth Pastor John Miranda said the community is struggling with the loss but continues to share faith and support each other, including Luquin’s full recovery.
“Visiting Alejandro only gives us strength,” he said. “Yes, we lost one brother, but we still fight for another and still pray for him.”
The Mercedes driver was taken to hospital and subsequently arrested on suspicion of reckless driving. The driver of the Rolls Royce has not yet been located.
“I really hope they catch the person who did this to them and they pay the price because it’s not fair,” Contreras said.
A memorial service is planned for Rangel. According to Miranda, that will be Wednesday at 7:30 PM.
“It’s hard to have trust when someone so young, someone you love, is no longer with us,” Miranda said. “I think this also reminds us and pushes us to grow our faith as we look at the legacy that Rangel left behind.”
