Southern California is riddled with vehicle-related crimes that include rampant grand theft auto, daily high speed chases, and dangerous street racing. While some think it’s a game, comedian Tony Baker does not. His 21-year-old son, Cerain Baker, along with his friends, Jaiden Johnson, 20, and Natalee Moghaddam, 19, were killed as a result of an illegal street race between two vehicles in Burbank on Tuesday at 11:30 p.m.
According to police, Cerain was traveling in a silver Volkswagen on Andover and North Glenoaks Blvd. when a gray Kia and black Mercedes sped through an intersection where the vehicle carrying Baker was attempting to make a left turn. Reports have yet to confirm who was the driver of the Volkswagen. All three cars collided on the street with one car catching on fire.
Police confirmed that everyone in the Volkswagen, which was partially split in half by the Kia, were ejected from the vehicle upon impact and killed. The driver of the Kia was seriously injured, while the two people in the Mercedes Benz were unharmed. Criminal charges may be filed against the street racers.
“He was the sweetest person I ever encountered,” Amanda Camacho, Baker’s girlfriend, told ABC7. “He was always smiling. Every person he met he impacted. It’s going to be crazy to live without him, but I know he’d want us all to be happy and keep working hard.”
“Natalee was one-of-a-kind type of person,” Ava Recchia, friend to Moghaddam, told ABC7 while at a vigil on Wednesday. “She always would light up a room and she always touched everyone. She made an imprint on every person she was friends with.”
Fellow comedian and co-host of The Real, Loni Love, sent her condolences to Tony Baker. “Condolences to my comedy brother Tony Baker on the loss of his oldest son Cerain Anthony Raekwon Baker as well as the other two young people killed in a violent car crash Tuesday night,” Love posted on Twitter. Ironically, a motion to establish proactive and preventive measures to mitigate street racing, such as speed bumps and curb extensions, was introduced by Los Angeles council member Monica Rodriguez.
Cerain Baker was known for his great football playing skills, being a producer with a knack for fashion, and often appearing in his father’s YouTube videos.
Condolences to the families impacted by this senseless incident.
