Two 25-Year-Old Men Killed in Unrelated Freeway Crashes

Two 25-year-old men men were killed in unrelated accidents Monday near the interchange of the Ventura (134) Freeway and the Golden State (5) Freeway, and one motorist was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, authorities said.

One of the victims was a man was involved in a collision that left his vehicle disabled on the left shoulder of the southbound 5 Freeway south of Zoo Drive around 12:05 a.m., the California Highway Patrol reported.

The man -- identified by the coroner's office as Jacob Richcter, 25, of Los Angeles -- got out of his vehicle and was trying to cross the freeway lanes on foot when he was hit by a 2010 Kia, the CHP reported. The 25-year-old La Crescenta man driving the Kia was neither injured nor arrested.

About 2:30 a.m., a man was killed when his 2001 Honda Accord became disabled on the No. 2 lane of the transition road from the eastbound 134 Freeway to the southbound 5 Freeway, and it was rear-ended by a 2002 Ford Focus going about 80 miles per hour, the CHP reported.

The Honda went off the roadway, rolled down an embankment and burst into flames, and the 25-year-old man was killed, the CHP reported. His name was withheld pending family notification.

The driver of the Ford, a 22-year-old Los Angeles man, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, the CHP reported. His name was not immediately released.

CHP officers completing their investigation into the first crash dashed to the scene of the second crash, pulled the man out of his burning car and attempted to perform CPR but were unable to save his life, said CHP Officer J. Will.

The eastbound 134 Freeway was closed at the southbound 5 Freeway connector while an investigation was conducted. All lanes were reopened shortly before 6 a.m., the CHP reported.