6 teens charged with theft of car involved in deadly Orange County crash

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Six teenagers are now being charged with stealing a car that was later involved in a deadly crash in Orange County.

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Investigators say the teens packed into a stolen SUV just before 4:30 a.m. on April 23 and ran a red light at the intersection of State Road 408 and Dean Road, colliding with another car and killing the innocent 23-year-old driver.

A newly released report reveals more details of the investigation.

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Video: Troopers investigate deadly crash involving reported stolen car full of teenagers Florida state troopers are investigating a deadly crash involving a reportedly stolen car with several teenagers inside. (WFTV)

According to the report, the six teens- ranging in age from 14 to 17 years old- stole a Hyundai Santa Fe from an Uber driver’s apartment complex.

Investigators say a 16-year-old was driving when they ran the red light at Dean Road and State Road 408, colliding with 23-year-old Christian Romero’s Toyota 4-Runner and killing him.

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A judge issued warrants for the six teens on May 17 for felony grand theft charges out of Orange County.

Meanwhile, the Florida Highway Patrol is still working to complete their own investigation into the crash.

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When asked whether FHP plans to file charges against the teens for Romero’s death, an FHP spokesperson issued a statement saying they’re still waiting on results from FDLE regarding the case.

“The final charges will not be issued until the entire traffic homicide investigation is complete,” the statement said.

Video: ‘He’s never coming home’: Family of man killed in crash involving stolen SUV speaks out Trooper said Christian Romero, 23, was coming off of State Road 408 at Dean Road around 4:30 a.m. Sunday. (Phylicia Ashley, WFTV.com)

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