KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Authorities have identified a man, woman and their two children who were killed when their vehicle crashed into a retention pond Tuesday in Kissimmee.
The vehicle was pulled from the pond near the Valencia College campus off U.S. 192 about 2:15 p.m.
The victims have been identified as Ulysses Montero, 25, of Miami, Julie Lopez-Elias, 24, of Kissimmee, Julissa Montero, 4, and Dlias Montero, who was only 6 days old.
Days before the crash, Lopez-Elias posted photos to social media showing the newest addition to the family, Dlias.
The couple's third child was not in the vehicle at the time of the crash. He is now being cared for by family members.
On Wednesday, a friend of Lopez-Elias stopped by the pond to try to make sense of what happened.
"Then the kids was there, you know. That makes it that much tougher," said friend Derrick Hamilton. "It's bad enough to lose a friend, but then if you lose a friend and the kids, it's double and triple the pain."
Photos: Crews recover vehicle from pond
Investigators are trying to figure out how and why the car ended up submerged in the pond, but a 911 call is giving them more clues as to what may have led to the crash.
A man told a dispatcher in Spanish he watched Montero hop the sidewalk and drive into the water as if it was on purpose.
“Oh my God. I’ve never seen anything like that. Looks like the driver threw himself in the lake. You can’t see the car at all,” the caller told the dispatcher.
The caller also mentioned something about a seizure, leaving more questions for investigators about the deaths of the family.
"Right now we are opening an investigation. We don't know if the driver had a medical condition. That will be part of the investigation," said Stacie Miller, with Kissimmee police.
"How could this happen?" said Hamilton. "It doesn't make sense. That's why I had to come see for myself."
Friends of the couple have also taken to social media to express condolences for the family.
"It's the holidays. It makes it that much harder," said Hamilton. "Cherish your loved ones, good friends. Cherish all of them. That's all I can say, really."
Thomas Sergent told Eyewitness News he was at his dive shop a half mile away when a police officer showed up on Tuesday.
"I was sitting right here and a squad car pulled up and (the officer) is, like, 'Can I use you and your diving gear? And I need it right now,'" said Sergent.
Sergent said he rushed to the pond, suited up and jumped into the water, which he described as cold and murky. The experienced diver said he quickly realized there was a man, woman and two kids in the car.
"That's actually a sight I want to erase out of my mind. Seeing the children's toys floating in there was hard to see," said Sergent.
Sergent said he couldn't do anything to save the victims. All four of them were pronounced dead at the scene.
"It's sad. I encourage parents to go and hug your kids. I'm getting choked up just thinking about it," said Sergent.
As the memorial grew to honor the family, Channel 9 learned the couple had a troubled and violent past.
According to a report from February, Montero was accused of slamming his sports car into Lopez, who was in another vehicle, during a fight.
At the time, Lopez pleaded with deputies not to arrest the father of her children and the charges were later dropped.
“It’s really sad. They were arguing a lot,” said Maggie Nogueiras, who manages the condo complex where the family lived.
A witness told Channel 9 it looked as though the couple was fighting before the crash.
“Something was going on in that vehicle that was not normal. There was some altercation, a fight. I thought it might have been a carjacking for all I know,” said Bob Gotting.
A chaplain was called to the scene to help some of the first responders cope with the tragic situation.
WFTV
