An 8-year-old girl has been identified as the victim of a fiery two-vehicle crash in Perris that left five others injured.
The Riverside County Coroner’s Bureau identified the girl killed as Camila Leon, 8, of Perris, according to authorities on Sunday. The crash occurred Saturday evening near the intersection of Ramona Expressway and East Rider Street at approximately 5:40 p.m., where Cal Fire and Riverside County sheriff’s deputies responded to find two wrecked vehicles, one of them fully engulfed in flames.
Six people were hospitalized in total, including Camila, who later died from her injuries. A second juvenile passenger remained in critical condition Monday, while an adult was hospitalized in stable condition. The remaining victims were treated and released, authorities said.
Video from the scene showed a white Lexus and another vehicle badly charred, with debris strewn across the roadway as firefighters and deputies worked behind yellow caution tape. The white Lexus had been carrying multiple passengers, including Camila and the other critically injured juvenile.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation. No arrests have been made, and the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office has not determined what led to the violent collision. The sheriff’s Perris station Traffic Reconstruction Team has taken charge of the probe.
Authorities are asking anyone with information about the crash to contact Deputy Joseph Puente at (951)-776-1099. The investigation is ongoing as officials work to piece together the circumstances that led to the fatal incident.
In the viral moment that preceded the identification, emergency crews had responded to the intersection to find one vehicle burning and multiple victims requiring immediate medical attention. The severity of the crash and the young age of the victims drew significant attention to the Riverside County community, which has seen multiple serious traffic incidents in recent months.
The Perris crash adds to a troubling pattern of fatal collisions in the region. Just months earlier, a suspected DUI crash in nearby Moreno Valley killed 37-year-old Yoseph Asfaw, with a Perris resident arrested in that case. The sheriff’s office continues to investigate whether any similar factors contributed to Saturday’s deadly collision.
Authorities have not released additional details about the drivers involved or the exact sequence of events leading to the impact. The condition of the critically injured juvenile was unchanged as of Monday, according to reports.