Thornton Neighbors Suspect Street Racing After Fiery Crash Kills 3 People

THORNTON, Colo. (CBS4) — Three people are dead and several others injured after a fiery crash at 120th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard in Thornton early Saturday morning. The three deceased were inside two moving vehicles that barreled through the intersection, crashing in to three other cars which were stopped at the intersection.

"I saw video and it was just horrific," said Jenna Hirsch, a nearby resident. "The crash, huge flames. I heard people got burned alive. It sounded really awful."

Hirsch moved to the Thornton area one year ago and has since spent countless nights calling police to report street racing along 120th Avenue.

"It is every single night. It is bad," Hirsch told CBS4's Dillon Thomas. "We moved from downtown Denver to get away from the car noise and gun shots. Living up here has been 100 times worse. I feel like we are calling the cops every weekend to report the street racing that is continuing."

Hirsch said she called police a matter of minutes before the fiery and fatal crash to report street racing. However, Thornton Police said they have not found evidence to support street racing as a direct connection to the fatal crash.

Police said speed was likely a factor in the crash, something that came as no shock to Hirsch.

"It is definitely not a surprise. And, it is bound to keep happening," Hirsch said. "You see people driving super fast with no real care about the people around them."