Witness reports man was “going around 120 mph” before deadly fiery wreck in Homeland

August 24, 2021 Trevor Montgomery

HOMELAND, Calif., — Authorities say speeding and reckless driving may have led to a fiery, rollover wreck that killed a local man early Monday morning, Aug. 23.

The fatal, solo-vehicle accident happened along Highway 74/Florida Avenue near Cortrite Avenue, when the speeding vehicle plowed into a concrete barrier within a construction zone and overturned into a power pole, causing the sports car to burst into flames, according to the California Highway Patrol.

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CHP, Cal Fire-Riverside County Fire Department and other emergency personnel were dispatched to the scene around 1 a.m. after a witness called 911 to report the fiery crash.

When officials arrived they found a Chevy Camaro fully engulfed in flames, with fire continuing to spread to nearby vegetation. Firefighters made quick work of the blaze, with the fire fully extinguished around 1:25 a.m.

It was then that firefighters discovered the victim and sole-occupant deceased inside the wrecked Camaro

Although the 20-year-old Homeland’s man’s name has not yet been provided, a Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner release indicated the victim was pronounced deceased at the scene at 1:29 a.m.

CHP Officer Teodora Blanco has since reported that a witness to the deadly crash told officers that the driver was traveling at a high rate of speed through a construction zone at the intersection when the speeding car struck a concrete barrier, causing it to flip.

The Camaro then hit a utility pole, causing the car “to burst into flames,” explained Blanco.

Sadie Thompkins, of Riverside, has since told RCNS she was driving to her boyfriend’s house after work when she witnessed the deadly collision.

“I had just crossed through the intersection when I saw the Camaro going in the opposite direction,” Thompkins explained.

“He was going fast. I mean super fast,” she described; adding, “I would estimate he was going around 120 mph when he passed me.”

“The next thing I saw was a huge fireball in my rearview mirror, and I instantly knew the crash had to be fatal,” the still-shaken woman continued. “There was no way anyone could have survived that wreck.”

All westbound lanes of State Route 74 in the area were shut down for the duration of the initial on-scene investigation and the roadway has since been re-opened.

CHP’s investigation is active and ongoing and officials have not yet ruled out alcohol or drug intoxication as possible contributing factors in the deadly accident.

This is a developing story that will be updated as new information becomes available.

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Trevor Montgomery, 50, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).

Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County-based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.