‘He was that person you could depend on’: Victim of fatal Highway 152 crash identified as Capitola teen Carlos Angeles

Carlos Angeles, a 19-year-old graduate of Soquel High School, has been identified as one of the victims in the Watsonville car crash last Sunday evening that killed two and critically injured two others. The identity of the other person who died, a 17-year-old girl, will not be released at this time, according to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office.

The investigation into the crash is ongoing, California Highway Patrol officer Israel Murillo said Thursday. The driver of one of the vehicles was arrested on allegations of driving under the influence on Sunday evening. He sustained major injuries from the crash and is still in police custody and in the hospital.

After the crash, Carlos’ uncle created a GoFundMe to raise money for his memorial expenses. His father, Martin Angeles, told Lookout that Carlos was supposed to start a new job the morning after the accident. Martin said he wanted to make more money than at his previous job to help his father pay for the bills, his car payment and college. He was to start a new semester at Cabrillo College.

Carlos was set on finding his own job without his father’s help, even though Martin had offered to get him a job in auto sales with him, Martin said. After months of searching, when Carlos received the notification that he had gotten a job with Frito-Lay, he immediately texted his father.

“He was just excited and full of life that he had a good-paying job and he was going to be able to go to school to become an engineer,” Martin said.

Martin said Carlos has always been a caring person. When the family moved from San Diego, Martin said, Carlos acted as the backbone of their family, supporting them as they built their life from the ground up. 

“He was the person you could depend on that would come through for you, whatever was needed. Regardless of how easy or difficult it might have been for him,” Martin said. “It was too soon for him, you know? He was such a giving young man.”

Suki Kasmi, one of Carlos’ best friends, echoed that sentiment. She said Carlos always put other people first, and that no matter someone’s upbringing, he was always willing to befriend them.

“If it was early morning or late at night, he was there. … He walked and commuted by bus over 6 miles just for me to get my first car and drive with me, so I wouldn’t be alone,” Kasmi said. “He always had room for everybody else; his heart was very, very, very full.”

The other crash victim who died was a 17-year-old who had just finished her junior year in high school. Her mother, Anahi Puerta, posted a GoFundMe account to raise money for funeral expenses. She asked that her daughter’s name not be published.

Puerta said if she could describe her daughter in one word, it would be “sweet.” She was a good listener and was very intentional, her mother said, someone who always made sure to check up on people and not show judgment.

The last special moment she shared with her daughter was Mother’s Day, Puerta said. Her family surprised her at a restaurant, and her daughter gave her flowers and a handwritten letter.

“She would do a lot of handmade stuff as gifts, because they meant something,” Puerta said. “It would be meaningful, it would be something special about the person, and she was always very attentive and made sure people felt love.

“She’s already missed, and it leaves a huge emptiness in our family,” her mother said. “She had siblings, she had dogs that she left behind, and a lot of people that really cared about her.”

Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact California Highway Patrol dispatch at 831-796-2160.

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