Authorities on Wednesday identified the 37-year-old man who was driving a speeding Tesla Model 3 that caused a fatal multi-car crash in Huntington Beach.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department identified the Tesla driver as Huntington Beach resident Ryan Mark Larson as the only fatality in Tuesday’s crash.
Dashcam video captured the Tesla flying through the air when Larson lost control and hit a car traveling in the opposite direction on Hale Avenue at Golden West Street around 2:45 p.m.
When officers arrived, they found seven vehicles involved in the incident, including the Tesla, which had rolled over several times before coming to rest on the east side of the intersection, according to the Huntington Beach Police Department.
Larson was pronounced dead at the scene.
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One person was killed in a multi-vehicle crash in Huntington Beach on December 2, 2025. (KTLA)
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One person was killed in a multi-vehicle crash in Huntington Beach on December 2, 2025. (KTLA)
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One person was killed in a multi-vehicle crash in Huntington Beach on December 2, 2025. (KTLA)
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One person was killed in a multi-vehicle crash in Huntington Beach on December 2, 2025. (KTLA)
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One person was killed in a multi-vehicle crash in Huntington Beach on December 2, 2025. (KTLA)
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One person was killed in a multi-vehicle crash in Huntington Beach on December 2, 2025. (Citizen Application)
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One person was killed in a multi-vehicle crash in Huntington Beach on December 2, 2025. (Citizen Application)
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One person was killed in a multi-vehicle crash in Huntington Beach on December 2, 2025. (KTLA)
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Dashcam footage captured the moment the suspect’s Tesla went airborne after hitting the road and hitting an oncoming car at a Huntington Beach intersection on Dec. 2, 2025. (George Spaulding)
In another video, a driver and his young son can be heard riding in a pickup truck, which was also severely damaged in the crash.
“Malcolm, are you okay?” his father asked. The boy replied, “Yes,” and the driver described what happened: “A car hit the corner of our car head first,” he said, choking up.
Police said the Tesla had been traveling at a “high rate of speed” but did not have an estimate of how fast it was traveling. Witnesses at the scene believed the car was traveling at about 100 mph.
George Spaulding, who was waiting at a red light, said he saw the car speeding towards him.
“We saw a car speeding down the road and our lights just turned green and we were ready to take off,” Spaulding recalled. “The car cut between lanes, went into our lane and went flying and hit this slope here. It caught the air, lost control and rolled over.”
Three people were taken to hospital. Two Orange County probation officers were injured after their vehicle was hit, authorities confirmed.
On Wednesday morning, the Orange County Probation Department said both officers were recovering. “One officer was medically examined at the scene and the other officer was treated and released,” officials said.
Police said the cause of the accident was still under investigation and it was unclear whether drugs or alcohol were a factor. It’s unclear whether Tesla’s Autopilot or Full Self-Driving features are enabled.
Anyone who witnessed the accident or the events leading up to the accident is encouraged to call the Police Department at 714-536-5666.
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