Services set for 3 young Peninsula men killed in solo-vehicle crash
MENLOPARK>> Services have been scheduled for three young men who died tragically in a solo-vehicle collision last week on Skyline Boulevard in San Mateo County.
Funeral services for Matthew Cruz, Andrew Gonzales and Ricky Torres will be held 1:30 p.m. today at the Church of the Nativity, 210 Oak Grove Ave. in Menlo Park.
“All three of these young men and their families were very close and the parents have collectively decided to hold services honoring all three individuals together at the same time,” said Menlo Park Fire District Chief Harold Schapelhouman, who is serving as a spokesman for the families. “Our Menlo Fire family has been working closely with themto help pull everything together to create a memorable tribute to their children.”
The friends were killed Oct. 31 when their 2010 Hyundai skidded off Skyline Boulevard near Bear Gulch Road, hit a tree and plummeted 50 feet down an embankment.
The cause of the collision remains under investigation.
Gonzales, 18, of Menlo Park, and Torres, 19, of Redwood City, were members of Fire Explorer Post 109, which is affiliated with the fire district. Like Torres’ father Rudy, a master mechanic with the district, they wanted to pursue careers in the fire service.
Cruz, 18, of Redwood City, spent nearly three years on the teen leadership council of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Activities League and also participated in its mentoring program. His work with deputies and staff helped improve the North Fair Oaks community.
Neighboring fire agencies will cover the fire district so that all on- duty and off- duty personnel can attend the funeral service, Schapelhouman said. The service is expected to draw upward of 1,000 people, and some 100 vehicles are set to take part in the 4 p.m. procession from the church to the gravesite at Skylawn Memorial Park in San Mateo.
“Depending on the scope and scale of any emergency received during that period of time,” the chief said, “we’ll be prepared to immediately redeploy our personnel, but they all wanted to support these families and pay their final respects to these three young men.”
Schapelhouman said the families are planning to make a “significant announcement” later this week.