A 16-year-old boy from California has died in a crash shortly after receiving his driver’s license.
The Santa Clara Police Department reported that officers responded to the fatal accident around 9:36 p.m. local time on Saturday, Sept. 20. They found the driver, identified by family as Isaiah Mendoza, still inside a Honda Accord, while two passengers were outside the vehicle.
The Santa Clara Fire Department attempted life-saving measures for Mendoza, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The two juvenile passengers, who have not been publicly identified, suffered minor injuries, authorities said. A second vehicle, a Toyota Camry, was also involved. Its driver, another minor, cooperated with investigators.
Preliminary investigations suggest that both vehicles were traveling north when Mendoza’s Honda struck the Toyota and then collided with a traffic signal pole at an intersection.
“The Honda appeared to be traveling over the posted speed limit, but the speed is not known at this point in the investigation,” police stated.
The crash occurred shortly after Mendoza turned 16 and obtained his driver’s license, his grandfather, Robert Maes Jr., told NBC affiliate KNTV.
“Isaiah was my world. Isaiah was my sidekick,” Maes said.
Christine Vallejo, a relative of Mendoza, described him as “driven” and “talented” in a GoFundMe fundraiser that has raised over $37,000.
“My sister-in-law and brother-in-law now face the heartache of having to plan services for their amazing boy,” she wrote. PEOPLE has reached out to Vallejo for comment.
Meanwhile, CW affiliate KRON reported that Mendoza had been a member of the soccer and baseball teams at Santa Clara’s Wilcox High School.
A spokesperson for the Santa Clara Unified School District could not be immediately reached by PEOPLE, but a representative told the outlet that their “hearts are shattered and we join Isaiah’s family, friends, and community in their grief.”
On Monday night, Sept. 22, hundreds attended a candlelight vigil in Mendoza’s memory, KTVU reported.
“It’s still not real that I won’t get to see him again or talk to him again,” said Manuel Baez IV, a friend of Mendoza. “He really was a good kid. Everyone loved him. You see how many people are here.”
