First pictures of teenage friends, 19, killed when Tesla taxi crashed into tree during Christmas night out
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Friends Jenson Seal and Jake Neaves, both 19
Two teenagers who died when their taxi crashed into a tree have been named locally.
Jake Neaves and Jenson Seal, both 19, were returning home from a Christmas party in London, according to reports.
Friends said the white Tesla cab they had hailed from Oxted train station hit a tree in Hurst Green, Surrey, just before 10pm on Saturday night.
A third young man, in his late teens, is fighting for his life in hospital.
Officers were called to the scene in Holland Road near to the junction with Popes Lane.
Surrey Police said the driver of the vehicle was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
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.
A local resident said that six friends had gone on a festive night out before taking two taxis home.
Following the smash, occupants of other cab stopped to help and managed to drag two of the victims from the vehicle before it burst into flames.
They told the Daily Mail: “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.”
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.”
Two former classmates at Oxted school visited the scene of the crash today to lay flowers.
One, wiping away a tear, added: “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.”
Roads remain closed while police continue to investigate, with people urged to avoid the area around Warren Lane.
Detectives are appealing for witnesses to the crash to come forward and are particularly interested in CCTV, dashcam, or helmet cam footage that may have captured all or part of the incident.
Anyone with information that might assist is asked to contact police by calling 101 and quoting PR/45250153201.
