Driver to serve 16 years for 100 mph racing crash that killed 5 teens
The crash was horrific — a truck plunged 37 feet from I-85 to a ramp below, according to Gwinnett County police.
Five teenagers were killed, including two passengers who were ejected on impact, around 4 a.m. on Labor Day in 2023. One victim had just celebrated his 19th birthday hours earlier.
After the crash, police determined two young drivers had been racing, hitting speeds of over 100 mph. Last week, the driver who survived pleaded guilty for his role in the crash and was sentenced to 30 years, including 16 years in prison and the remainder on probation, according to the Gwinnett district attorney.
Emanuel Rene Esfahani, now 22, pleaded guilty to five counts of vehicular homicide in the first degree, along with charges of serious injury by vehicle, reckless driving and failure to wear a seat belt, court documents show.
Investigators believe Hung Nguyen, 18, of Lawrenceville, was driving a 2017 Toyota Tacoma double cab and collided with an Infiniti G35, driven by Esfahani, on Ga. 316 while both vehicles negotiated a curve, the police report stated after the crash.
Police later determined Nguyen and Esfahani were racing.
“They were speeding in excess of 100 mph on the exit ramp from State Route 316 to Pleasant Hill Road when they came upon a vehicle traveling slower than they were,” a Gwinnett police spokesperson said in a statement.
The Toyota passed the slower vehicle on the left and the Infiniti passed on the right, likely in the right emergency lane, according to investigators. A box truck was stopped in the emergency lane, causing Esfahani to swerve left.
The Infiniti went across the lanes of travel and hit the truck, according to police. The Toyota lost traction and began to spin and roll, police said.
“That is when the Tacoma continued to travel right across the lanes, making an impact with the retaining wall,” police said. “The excess speed caused it to carry over the wall and fall to the ramp 37 feet below.”
In addition to Nguyen, the crash killed Katie Gaitan, 17, Ashley Gaitan, 16, and Coral Lorenzo, 17, all from Atlanta, and Abner Santana, 19, of Suwanee. All five died at the scene.
Communities in metro Atlanta grieved those killed during what should have been a fun holiday weekend.
Santana, a 2023 Collins Hill High School graduate, celebrated his birthday hours before the crash. Known by his middle name Natanael or Nato, he was remembered as being an inspiration to his peers, carrying a joyful spirit.
“Nato had a profound impact on the lives of his friends and family,” his obituary stated. “He was the glue that held us all together, always there with a listening ear, a shoulder to lean on, and a joke to brighten even the darkest days. He had a unique ability to lighten the load for others and truly believed in the power of kindness and understanding.”
The three youngest teens attended Lakeside High School in DeKalb, and Katie and Ashley were sisters and “beautiful souls who were inseparable” from one another, a fundraising page previously stated.
“Coral was my best friend a sister, a daughter, and so much more,” a fundraiser for another victim stated. “Coral’s family and our entire community is grieving the loss of such an amazing person.”
Nguyen, born in Vietnam, had later moved to the U.S.
“Hung not a day goes by where i don’t think about you,” one person commented on his obituary earlier this year.
Another teen in the truck, an 18-year-old boy, survived with just minor injuries, along with the drivers of the two other vehicles involved, police said. Investigators do not believe alcohol was a factor.
After Monday’s sentencing, Esfahani was booked into the Gwinnett jail, where he will await transfer to prison, records showed.
