Crash kills three Stockton men
STOCKTON — Three young Stockton men died Sunday in a single-vehicle crash in Turlock leaving family and friends reeling in disbelief.
The Turlock Police Department reported that the accident happened about 2:30 a.m. in the 400 block of North Golden State Boulevard.
Authorities have not officially released the names of the victims, but family and friends identified the three men as Sean Acosta, 20; Kurtis Acosta, 19, and Angel Muñoz, 19.
Police said a preliminary investigation indicates the vehicle the men were in veered off of the road and crashed into a tree and then a light pole.
"At this time, it is too early to determine if alcohol or drugs were a factor,” Turlock police said.
Stephen Moses, 19, said he was the last person to see his friends alive.
The group had been out at a party in Turlock when Sean Acosta, his younger brother Kurtis, and their friend Muñoz left shortly before 2:30 a.m. to go to a store, Moses said. Kurtis Acosta called Moses to tell him they were lost and to send his location.
“I sent him my location and they never made it there,” he said. “I waited 10 minutes and they never showed.”
Moses in a text message told the men he had to take a friend home. He said he began to worry when Sean Acosta didn’t show up to work at Stockton’s Gentlemans Hair Studio by 11:30 a.m. Sunday and the men weren’t answering their phones.
Moses, along with a friend and Angel Muñoz’s cousin, returned to Turlock to look for the men. It was at the Turlock Police Department station where they learned of the crash.
“I couldn’t believe they were gone,” he said. “I was with them. I was with them that same morning.”
Two GoFundMe accounts were created to help the respective families pay for burial expenses. People can donate by visiting, https://bit.ly/2BRmFJc and https://bit.ly/2BQC teZ.
A car meet-up fundraiser is scheduled for 6 p.m. Sunday at 10354 Trinity Parkway. All donations collected will be used for funeral expenses.
Moses said there also will be T-shirts and sweatshirts sale that will benefit the families of the men. To place an order, contact Stephen Moses at (209) 3627405 or contact him through Instagram at @stevemoses_.