Julie Reeder and Brian Briggs
UPDATED Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025 10:00 am:
TEMECULA – A fiery crash involving a black BMW M4 and a white Nissan on Interstate 15 left four people dead and several others injured Saturday night, authorities said.
The crash was reported around 9:33 p.m. Aug. 23, just north of Winchester Road, according to the California Highway Patrol. A black BMW M4 traveling northbound was seen driving recklessly before it veered left, struck the concrete median and crossed into the southbound lanes.
The BMW continued across traffic and into the No. 5 lane, where it collided with a white Nissan Sentra. The impact caused the BMW to catch fire and become fully engulfed in flames, CHP officials said.
The BMW’s driver, a 25-year-old man from Moreno Valley, was pulled from the burning car by good Samaritans. He sustained major injuries and was taken to Inland Valley Medical Center. His passengers — a 23-year-old woman in the front seat and two teenagers, a male and a female, ages 14 and 15, in the back seat — all from Moreno Valley, were killed at the scene.
The Nissan’s driver, 36-year-old Nicholas Callans of Wildomar, was pronounced dead at Inland Valley Medical Center at 10:08 p.m., according to the Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner’s Bureau. Callans had been injured in the crash on southbound I-15 about a mile north of Winchester Road and was being transported for treatment when he died. Next of kin have been notified. His front-seat passenger, a 22-year-old man, was rushed to Inland Valley Medical Center in critical condition.
CHP officers, firefighters and emergency crews responded, shutting down lanes as they worked to extinguish the flames and clear the wreckage. The crash caused significant delays on the southbound side of the freeway.
Alcohol is not believed to be a factor in the crash, officials said. The BMW driver may face charges, pending the outcome of the investigation.
The CHP Temecula office is asking any witnesses to call (951) 466-4300.
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Early version story
Three patients have been transported in addition to at least one fatality that occurred tonight, Saturday, August 23, after a fiery fatal accident closed down all lanes of southbound I-15. At least one person is reported to have died when a BMW burst into flames and was fully engulfed.
 The black BMW sedan caught fire after crashing on Interstate 15 northbound and going into southbound traffic just north of French Valley Parkway, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The crash was reported around 9:45 p.m. when the vehicle lost control. The BMW was reported to have crashed into the center divide on the northbound side, traveling through it and then crashing into a white sedan on the southbound side. It apparently then crossed all southbound lanes before coming to rest on the side of the freeway.
Moments later, the vehicle became fully engulfed in flames, prompting reports that the driver may have been trapped inside. Emergency crews arrived to find the BMW burning, with the fire spreading.
Firefighters and CHP units responded to the scene, closing lanes and working to extinguish the blaze. The incident continues to cause significant traffic delays on the southbound side of the freeway.
