Teen killed in 100 mph chase in Columbia that hurt five others is identified by coroner
A high-speed chase ended early Saturday morning when a car carrying six teens crashed into a pond in a suburban Columbia neighborhood, killing one of them.
A day after the Richland County Coroner’s Office said it would not release the teen’s name because it was working to notify his family, the teenager was identified as 16-year-old Irmo resident Brandon Nunez, according to a Sunday afternoon news release.
The chase began shortly before midnight, when a Jeep Cherokee allegedly fled a traffic stop initiated by the South Carolina Highway Patrol. According to a statement released by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, which was called to assist in the chase, the Jeep fled at speeds exceeding 100 mph.
At 12:05 a.m., the car then crashed into a pond at the Chestnut Hill Plantation subdivision, near the intersection of Lost Creek Drive and Boat Ramp Road. The sheriff’s department did not provide any information about what led to the crash.
Deputies said they immediately dove into the water as the Jeep sank. Five people, between the ages of 14 and 18, were rescued from the submerged vehicle and taken to an area hospital with injuries. Further information on their conditions was not available.
One person inside the vehicle did not resurface, according to the statement. The sheriff’s department dive team, with assistance from the Columbia Fire Department, the Irmo Fire District and the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office, was unable to immediately locate the missing teen.
Rescuers were unable to navigate the muddy pond in the dark, and the search was called off after three hours, according to the sheriff’s department.
The search resumed Saturday morning. Just after 10 a.m., divers recovered the body of a teenager, later identified as Nunez.
The pursuit and crash will be investigated by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department and the Columbia Police Department.
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