Three US Army soldiers were killed when their car plunged 400 feet down a dangerous San Francisco cliff on Friday morning.
Brylyn Aroma, 36; Angelica Gacho, 28; and Mohammad Noory, 29, were driving down California‘s Highway 1 – known for its hairpin turns and steep seaside cliffs – just after 11am on Friday when the two-door gray sedan they were in plunged down a cliff dubbed Devil’s Slide.
Their vehicle came to a rest down the embankment, and was photographed upside down but still visible in the water below.
Multiple California Highway Patrol officers along with other law enforcement agencies and fire crews rushed to the scene, while a CAL FIRE team rappelled down the side of the cliff to check on the occupants, ABC 7 reports.
Authorities initially found just two people in the car, whom they pronounced dead at the scene.
Angelica Gacho, 28, was killed in a horror crash when the car she was traveling in plummeted 400 feet down a cliff off California’s Highway 1
Brylyn Aroma, 36, and Mohammad Noory, 29, were also killed in the crash Friday morning
Rescuers were then able 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 then removed from the water by a tow truck on Saturday morning.
It was apparently being driven by Noory, of South San Francisco, who worked as an Uber driver at the time of the crash, according to NBC Bay Area.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation, as friends of Noory’s try to raise money for his family back home in Afghanistan.
The online fundraiser says that prior to driving for Uber, Noory worked for the US Army as an interpreter in Afghanistan.
He achieved a Special Immigrant Visa for his service to the US, and immigrated in 2021 in hopes of supporting his family.
But friends of Noory’s say they are not familiar with the other victims.
Photos from the scene show the two-door gray sedan overturned in the water below
Authorities needed to use a tow truck to pull the vehicle from the water on Saturday
Recovery efforts were hindered by high tides that created ‘incredibly dangerous’ conditions
Yet the three shared a bond, as Gacho was also a communications specialist for the US Army, according to her LinkedIn.
She shared reels of her life on a base on her Facebook page, and announced in April that she had got engaged.
‘You are foremost the highlight of my military career,’ she wrote of her fiancée.
Aroma, meanwhile, was a US Army medic and was stationed at Fort Riley in Kansas.
She was commended as the ‘dragon of the week’ by the First Battalion, 63rd Armor Regiment in March 2023.
‘She took the initiative to serve as a bridge between our soldiers and Allied forces,’ the battalion raved.
‘Her language skills and selfless service enhanced the capabilities of the organization during vehicle training and land navigation.’
It added that she was ‘vital in communication when it came to our Allies, which resulted in better safety and better training block for everyone involved.’
Gacho was a communications specialist for the US Army, according to her Linkedin
Aroma was stationed at Fort Riley in Kansas at the time of the crash, and had been working as a US 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 will not be here in Fort Riley no more,’ Joy Juliano wrote.
Aroma’s boyfriend, Vinny Hall, whom she had recently attended the Military Ball with, said he was ‘devastated and heartbroken.’
‘You were my rock baby, my whole world. We had so much planned 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 always.’
On his own Facebook page, Hall said that he was ‘just at a loss for words right now’ and doesn’t know what to do.
Aroma’s boyfriend, Vinny Hall, whom she had recently attended the Military Ball with, said he was ‘devastated and heartbroken’
Gacho announced in April that she had got engaged
Cheryll Lorca Gone also appeared to have known both Aroma and Gacho, writing it is ‘so sad what happened [to] both of you!
‘What a tragedy that happened!!!
‘So sad you guys [are] gone [at such a] young age and we will miss you both!!!’
