Teen who died in crash lacked license, drove borrowed BMW

Grief counselors arrived at two Costa Mesa high schools Monday to help students cope with the death of a former classmate over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Jacob Pacheco, 16, of Costa Mesa died early Wednesday when the BMW he was driving slammed into a tree across from Estancia High School and caught fire.

Jacob did not have a driver’s license or learner’s permit, according to the California Department of Motor Vehicles. A family member let Jacob borrow the BMW, according to police, who declined to release further details.

A 17-year-old passenger in the car suffered a broken jaw in the crash and had been released from the hospital by Tuesday evening, authorities said. The passenger is an Estancia student, according to Principal Kirk Bauermeister.

Police are investigating the wreck but said Jacob was driving at high speed along Placentia Avenue when the car swerved out of control shortly after midnight.

Investigators are now waiting for autopsy results from the Orange County Coroner’s office.

Jacob attended Estancia before transferring to Back Bay High School, a continuation school, in December 2013, school officials said.

“He had a lot of friends when he came here,” Back Bay Principal Deborah Davis said.

He left Back Bay in mid-April, Davis said.

From there, the district referred him to an alternative education program run by the county, according to Newport-Mesa Unified School District spokeswoman Laura Boss.

Davis said that in the short time that Jacob attended Back Bay, she got to know him as outgoing with a great personality and an aptitude for English, especially writing.

“It’s so sad for such a young man,” Davis said. “All of these accidents that take the lives of these kids, it’s such a tragedy.”