Three US Army soldiers were killed when their car plunged 400 feet off a dangerous cliff in San Francisco on Friday morning.
Brylyn Aroma, 36; Angelica Gacho, 28; and Mohammad Noory, 29, were driving on California’s Highway 1, known for its hairpin turns and sheer oceanside cliffs, shortly after 11 a.m. Friday when the gray two-door sedan they were riding in plunged off a cliff called Devil’s Slide.
His vehicle came to rest on the embankment and was photographed upside down, but still visible in the water.
Several California Highway Patrol officers along with other law enforcement agencies and fire crews responded to the scene, while a CAL FIRE crew rappelled down the side of the cliff to check on the occupants. ABC 7 report.
Authorities initially found only two people in the car, whom they declared dead at the scene.
Angelica Gacho, 28, died in a horrific accident when the car she was travelling in plunged 400 feet off a cliff on California’s Highway 1.
Brylyn Aroma, 36, and Mohammad Noory, 29, also died in the Friday morning crash.
Rescue teams managed to find and recover two of the bodies and a third was found on Saturday.
It was recovered after high tides created “incredibly dangerous” conditions, the highway patrol said. according to USA Today.
The car was pulled out of the water by a crane on Saturday morning.
The driver was reportedly Noory, of South San Francisco, who was working as an Uber driver at the time of the crash. according to NBC Bay Area.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation as Noory’s friends try to raise money for his family in Afghanistan.
He online fundraising He says that before driving for Uber, Noory worked for the US Army as an interpreter in Afghanistan.
He obtained a special immigrant visa for his service to the U.S. and immigrated in 2021 in hopes of supporting his family.
But Noory’s friends say they are not familiar with the other victims.
Photos from the scene show the gray two-door sedan overturned in the water below.
Authorities had to use a crane to remove the vehicle from the water on Saturday.
Recovery efforts were hampered by high tides that created “incredibly dangerous” conditions
However, the three shared a bond, as Gacho was also a communications specialist in the U.S. Army. according to his LinkedIn.
She shared videos of her life in a database on her Facebook page and announced in April that she was engaged.
“You are, above all, the highlight of my military career,” she wrote of her fiancé.
Aroma, for his part, was a doctor in the United States Army and was stationed at Fort Riley in Kansas.
She was praised as the “Dragon of the Week” by the First Battalion, 63rd Armored Regiment in March 2023.
“She took the initiative to serve as a bridge between our soldiers and allied forces,” The battalion went delirious.
‘Their language skills and selfless service enhanced the organization’s capabilities during vehicle training and land navigation.’
He added that she was “vital in communication when it came to our allies, resulting in better security and a better training block for all involved.”
Gacho was a communications specialist in the United States Army, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Aroma was stationed at Fort Riley in Kansas at the time of the accident and had been working as a U.S. Army medic.
Following the news of her sudden death, friends and family flooded Aroma’s Facebook to express their grief.
“I can’t stop crying thinking that you won’t be here at Fort Riley anymore,” Joy Juliano wrote.
Aroma’s boyfriend, Vinny Hall, with whom she recently attended the military ball, said he was “devastated and heartbroken.”
“You were my rock baby, my whole world. We had so many plans for our future,” Hall wrote, sharing photos of their time together.
“I will always love you so, so much. You will always be in my heart forever and ever.”
On his own Facebook page, Hall said he was “at a loss for words” at this point and did not know what to do.
Aroma’s boyfriend, Vinny Hall, with whom she recently attended the military ball, said he was “devastated and heartbroken.”
Gacho announced in April that he was engaged.
Cheryll Lorca Gone also appeared to have known both Aroma and Gacho, writing that it is “so sad what happened to both of them.”
‘What a tragedy happened!!!’
‘How sad that they have gone at such a young age and we will miss them both!’
