Two teenagers who died after a white Tesla crashed into a tree on a country lane had been in a cab returning home from a Christmas party.
Jake Neaves and Jenson Seal, both 19, were killed when the Tesla cab they had hailed from Oxted train station in Surrey crashed just before 10pm on Saturday night.
A third teenager was also injured and is understood to be fighting for life in hospital.
A 30-year-old man – believed to be the cab driver – has been arrested on suspicion of causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving after the smash on Holland Road in Hurst Green, near Oxted, police said.
Today, a local, who asked not to be named, said that six friends had gone on a festive night out on Saturday.
They took two taxis home. Following the smash, the friends in the other cab stopped to help and managed to drag two of their friends from the Tesla before it burst into flames.
The resident told the Daily Mail: ‘There had been six of them out for a Christmas party and they’d done the sensible thing and went and got a cab home from Oxted station.
‘Three went in the Tesla and the others went in another taxi but at some point during the journey home, for a reason we still don’t know, the Tesla hit a tree.
‘The lads from the other vehicle stopped and tried to get their friends out and managed to get two free but the Tesla apparently burst into flames.’
Two former classmates at Oxted school visited the scene of the crash today to lay flowers.
Jenson Seal (left) and Jake Neaves (right) were killed in the crash on Saturday night
Jake Neaves (left) and Jenson Seal (right) had been on a Christmas night out with friends when the taxi they were travelling home in struck a tree
One friend, wiping away a tear, said: ‘They were both lovely lads with hearts of gold. Just amazing people.
‘They didn’t have a bad bone in their body and always put smiles on people’s faces.
‘They’d been with a group of friends and had gone to London to enjoy a Christmas day out and had got the train back in the evening to Oxted and then got two cabs from Oxted rail station.
‘Jake and Jenson were in the same cab with another of their friends when the vehicle hit the tree and caught fire.
‘The other lads in the second cab stopped and got out to try and save them. They are devastated, as so many people are. Jake and Jenson were two of the nicest lads you could meet.’
Another friend, who also asked not to be named, said: ‘Jake was a gifted footballer and Jenson was always the sort of class clown but in a good way in that he always made people laugh. We’ll miss them so much.’
What caused the crash remains unknown, although locals have told how deer emerging from hedgerows along country lanes are a persistent problem.
One local said: ‘About five days ago, I’d just picked up my wife and kids from the train station and there was a young girl who’d parked up by the side of the road with her hazard lights flashing.
‘She told me that she had crashed into a street sign when she swerved to miss hitting a deer, which had jumped out right in front of her car.
‘This was maybe 100 metres away from the fatal crash scene on Saturday night and a few days previously.’
The road where the fatal crash in Oxted, Surrey, happened
Floral tributes have been laid for the teenagers who were killed in the crash
Floral tributes were laid at the scene for Jake and Jenson after the crash on Saturday night
Police and fire crews raced to the scene around 9.50pm followed by several ambulances, which lit up the country lane in blue lights, according to neighbours.
The families of both victims have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.
A third man also in his late teens remains in hospital with life-threatening injuries, while the driver of the Tesla was taken in with serious injuries.
Holland Road was closed off yesterday between the junctions with Popes Lane and Warren Lane but the route has since re-opened
Surrey Police were today appealing for witnesses.
A statement from the force read: ‘A 30-year-old man from Oxted has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
‘We are asking anyone who may have witnessed this collision to get in touch.
‘We are also seeking CCTV, dashcam, or helmet cam footage that may have captured all or part of this incident.’
Anyone with information about the crash is urged to get in touch with Surrey Police quoting PR/ 45250153201.
They can do this via the 24/7 live chat service on the website, using the online form to provide an update or by calling 101.
