A fatal incident involving a Tesla cybertruck in Piedmont is being investigated by the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration and the California Highway Patrol after three Piedmont highschool seniors died and one other was hospitalized.

The NHTSA said it’s working with the California Highway Patrol to find out the reason for the incident. This is the second fatal accident wherein a Tesla Cybertruck burst into flames.

“NHTSA is in the information gathering phase and has not initiated an investigation at this time,” the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Administration said in a press release. “NHTSA…collects information from the manufacturer and law enforcement.”

The single-vehicle accident occurred at 3:08 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 27, on Hampton Road when the Cybertruck left the road, struck a retaining wall and hit a tree before bursting into flames, in response to Jeremy Bowers , Piedmont Police Chief .

The vehicle's occupants included 4 Piedmont High School graduates, three of whom – Soren Dixon, Jack Nelson and Krysta Tsukahara – died within the rubble. A fourth, unidentified occupant of the vehicle was taken to a hospital and is in stable condition, in response to a press release from town of Piedmont.

On Thursday the community mourned the loss of its young residents with flowers placed on the foot of the tree where the victims died.

Piedmont Police Chief Jeremy Bowers said the incident was “unprecedented” and “devastating” for the Piedmont community. Although the causes are unclear, Bowers said the vehicle could have been speeding on the time of the accident, adding there was no indication that a mechanical failure caused the accident and subsequent fire.

The NHTSA, which is tasked with investigating motorcar safety defects and enforcing safety standards for automakers, and the California Highway Patrol are leading the investigation into how three Piedmont teenagers died within the Cybertruck. The results of the investigation might be provided to PPD, which is chargeable for disseminating the data to the general public.

An initial investigation by Piedmont authorities found no indication that the battery was the source of the hearth or caused an explosion related to the crash, in response to Piedmont Fire Department Chief Brannigan.

The fatal Piedmont accident adds to the growing list of incidents related to the Tesla Cybertruck, which has received widespread attention since its release on November 30, 2023. The automaker has issued six recalls in 2024 and is the topic of diverse NHTSA investigations. The first recall affected 2.2 million Cybertrucks due to small font on warning signs, and more serious recalls have since followed.

In April, Tesla recalled nearly 4,000 vehicles due to a defective accelerator pedal that would cause them to get stuck. On November 13, the electrical vehicle maker released its latest recall for greater than 2,400 Cybertrucks as a consequence of a defect that would cause the vehicles to interrupt down Loss of driver performancein response to NHTSA.

The accident in Piedmont is probably the most serious incident up to now involving the futuristic, metal-clad pickup. The Nov. 27 incident is the second fatal accident involving a Tesla Cybertruck, following an incident in Chambers County, Texas in August wherein a Cybertruck left a road. burst into flames and the driving force was killedsaid Texas media outlet KHOU 11.

According to CHP Golden Gate Division Sergeant Andrew Barclay, the investigation into the Piedmont incident will likely take “at least a few months” as authorities will examine quite a few aspects related to the crash.

Originally published: December 3, 2024 at 3:54 pm PST

Five people have been charged in reference to an operation through which greater than 16,000 counterfeit Apple devices were returned in exchange for real products after which resold over a period of greater than nine years, the U.S. Department of Justice announced in a press release on Friday, May 31.

From December 2015 through March 2024, Yang Song, 40, of Corona, and Junwei Jiang, 37, of Los Angeles, allegedly obtained counterfeit Apple iPhones, iPads, and other devices from China. Along with co-conspirators Zhengxuan Hu, 26, of Alhambra, Yushan Lin, 30, of Corona, and Shuyi Xing, 34, of Corona, the defendants allegedly returned devices to Apple as in the event that they were real, legitimately purchased, and eligible for Apple's warranty programs.

Friday's statement said the suspects returned and attempted to return greater than 16,000 counterfeit Apple devices, causing no less than $12.3 million in damages to Apple.

The devices shipped from China were designed to appear to be real Apple devices. The real identification and serial numbers on the counterfeit devices mimicked authentic products purchased under Apple's manufacturer's warranty and prolonged warranty program and owned by real people throughout the United States, in response to the Justice Department.

The suspects claimed the products were broken or nonfunctional and were covered by the corporate's warranty programs. Some of the false reasons given to Apple Store employees included that the device wouldn’t activate, that it was physically damaged or that it had other defects, the affidavit states, in response to prosecutors.

The defendants visited multiple Apple Stores throughout Southern California each day, including as much as ten Apple Stores in Pasadena, Irvine, Brea and Rancho Cucamonga, where they allegedly returned the devices.

Apple allegedly sent the defendants a real substitute or repaired Apple device either to an Apple Store, where they picked up the brand new device, or to the handfuls of drop boxes they allegedly rented throughout Southern California.

In addition, they misspelled the mailing address during returns to hide the many fraudulent returns and used pseudonyms to make appointments at Apple Stores.

After the defendants received the unique devices, they allegedly shipped them to co-conspirators within the United States and abroad, primarily in China, where they resold them for a profit.

“All defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft, seven counts of wire fraud, 12 counts of mail fraud, and conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods,” the Justice Department statement said.