Street racing crash in Canoga Park leaves 1 dead; hit-and-run driver sought

CANOGA PARK, Calif. (KABC) — A street racing crash left one person dead early Wednesday morning after one driver rear-ended another in Canoga Park and fled the scene, authorities said.

The violent collision occurred shortly after 1 a.m. in the 6800 block of North Topanga Canyon Boulevard, near the Vanowen Street intersection.

Two drivers were street racing in southbound lanes when one vehicle struck the other, causing the second driver to lose control and slam into a pole, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department said.

News video from the scene showed that the impact of hitting the pole nearly split the car in two.

One witness, Theo Georgescu, said the collision sounded like “something exploded.” The sound was so loud, he said, he thought the crash had happened a few feet from where he was. He went around a corner to see if anyone needed help and realized the collision was about half-a-mile away.

A description of the hit-and-run driver was not available.

The driver who died at the scene was not immediately identified.