Young men identified after deadly I-10 crash near Desert Center

Two young men were killed Thursday in a collision involving a car and a semi truck on Interstate 10 east of Desert Center. The crash was reported at 5:39 a.m. on westbound Interstate 10, west of Ford Dry Lake, near Chuckawalla Valley Road.

The Riverside County Coroner’s Office identified the crash victims as 20-year-old Nicolas Madrigales of Bakersfield and 23-year-old Juan Leon Jr. of West Covina. They both died about 20 minutes after the crash.

Jennifer Fuhrman with the Riverside County Fire Department said they had to be cut out of the wreckage but suffered fatal injuries. A third person was evaluated at the scene but wasn’t hurt, she said.

We still don’t know any details about what led up to the crash. The California Highway Patrol continues to investigate.

The right westbound lane of the freeway was closed until around 12:15 p.m. for investigation and cleanup, according to the California Highway Patrol.

KESQ and CBS Local 2 will deliver more details as the investigation moves forward.