MILWAUKEE — Two people died Sunday afternoon after their car struck a tree and caught fire on Milwaukee’s north side, according to Milwaukee Police.
The Milwaukee Police Department said the crash happened around 3:59 p.m. near the 8700 block of West Appleton Avenue.
Watch: Two people dead after car crashes into tree in Milwaukee:
Police said a 38-year-old driver and a 39-year-old passenger were traveling southeast on Appleton when the vehicle collided with a tree.
According to police, both victims were pronounced dead at the scene.
The victims were identified by the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office as Latasha Campbell, 38, the driver, and Jeremiah Jefferies, 39, the passenger.
The examiner’s office said neither was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash.
Several neighbors told TMJ4 they heard the crash and ran outside shortly after the incident.
“My wife looked out the window and said 'it’s a car on fire',” neighbor Otis Thomas recalled.
“We saw the car on fire and then we saw them actually trying to get the driver out. Then it exploded a little bit."
The cause of the crash remains under investigation by Milwaukee Police.
Thomas told TMJ4 that in his experience, traffic along Appleton has felt unsafe for years.
“First thing I thought was — here we go again,” he said.
“People are flying up and down this street daily. It’s scary because we don’t know when it’s gonna happen next,” Thomas told TMJ4.
“I pray every day that I can get where I gotta go,” he added.
According to Wisconsin Community Maps, there have been nine crashes this year near the stretch of Appleton between 91st and Hampton.
Neighbors Isabel Rodriguez and Kenya Guzman told TMJ4 they have lived in the area for more than a decade and share similar concerns.
“We’re not safe,” Rodriguez said. “I put on my signal to turn, and they almost crash into me… It’s so crazy.”
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