Vigil held for Gilroy teens killed in Tuesday night car crash

Hundreds of people gathered Sunday for a candlelight vigil to mourn thedeaths Tuesday of three teenage girls at Mt. Madonna Continuation School Friday.

Sara Jean Williams, Yolanda Jimenez and Yesenia Pina, all 18, when they were killed in a car crash, May 12, one month before graduation.

“They are really nice girls, beautiful girls. I have no words to say, it’s still shocking,” said friend Elizabeth Sanchez.

To honor the girls, Sanchez and others designed black-and-pink memorial T-shirts.

“They were just really innocent. They didn’t deserve this,” said a friend, Elia Meza.

The teens were killed four days after 15-year-old Natalia Salcido died when the car she was in hit a tree.

“We’re all grieving. It’s just such a sad day, a week, in our district to lose four students,” said Deborah Flores, the superintendent of the Gilroy Unified School District.

Flores said the district has brought in more counselors to help students and teachers work through their grief.

With graduation coming up, this week is a sad reminder about the dangers teens face behind the wheel.

“I do think our students will be reminded that you can die in a car crash if your not safe. We want out students to really think about that over the next few weeks,” Flores said.

There will be another candlelight vigil at 8:30 p.m. Monday at Christopher High School in Gilroy.