Driver dead after luxury sports car crashes into traffic light pole in Laguna Hills

A man died Wednesday morning, Oct. 23, after the luxury sports car he was driving crashed into a traffic-light pole in Laguna Hills, authorities said.

Firefighters were called to Alicia Parkway near the parking entrance of the Laguna Hills Community Center at about 10:30 a.m. They found the red McLaren in flames, said Orange Fire Authority Capt. Paul Holaday.

The car had been traveling westbound on Alicia Parkway before it hit the pole and became engulfed in flames with the driver inside, officials said.

“It was fully engulfed when our firefighters arrived,” Holaday said. Firefighter extinguished the flames and only charred remains of the vehicle were left.

The driver of the car was pronounced dead at the scene. There were no other people in the car and no other vehicles involved, Holaday said.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department was investigating what led to the crash.

Vahan Mardirossian runs a nearby jewelry shop and said he heard a loud revving sound.

“We heard the RPMs and it was just loud,” he said. “Then right after that you heard a bang.”

He raced outside to see a car on fire and one man trying to put out the flames with a fire extinguisher. Mardirossian ran back to his store to grab his and join others trying to help.

“I took it out there but by the time I got to the end of the street there was just nothing we could do. The fire was way too high,” he said.

“There was parts of the car popping. We saw a hubcap; I think it flew like 30 feet in the air and came back down. It was just too dangerous.”

All westbound traffic on Alicia Parkway at Paseo de Valencia was being diverted.