A man and his girlfriend died days apart after being involved in two separate crashes at the same site, authorities in Alabama said.
On Thursday, a vehicle caught flames after crashing into the Riverside Baptist Church just before 1:30 a.m.
After extinguishing the flames, firefighters found the body of 19-year-old Anthony Banks Jr. inside the burned-out vehicle.
Detectives said Banks crashed into the church after leaving the roadway on a sharp turn.
Days later, at around 12:53 a.m. Sunday, another vehicle crashed into a wall at the same location where Banks died.
The victim was identified as 19-year-old Jennefer L. Arellano-Maldonado, Banks’ girlfriend.
Police couldn’t determine whether the second crash was intentional but said the young woman stole the car she was riding from her aunt.
The Riverside community was devastated by the two crashes and the destruction of their beloved church in the initial crash.
“The church is really nice. It was a nice church. I hate to see it the way it is because I hope they rebuild it,” a resident said.
“I hope they can rebuild it and make this as nice as it was because it’s a real pretty church.”
