Tragedy struck Sinajana over the weekend. A fatal car crash claimed the life of one of its residents, leaving family, friends, and the close-knit community in shock and sadness. The central village is reeling after the untimely loss of one of its own to that fatal car crash during the early hours of Saturday morning.

Mayor Robert Hoffman said, “We were informed in the morning by the police department as to the reason why the roads closed because people were asking why, and upon learning of that, we sent requests out–you know, do we know where they’re from, or whichever else, and only to find out that the deceased was from Sinajana.”

Patrol officers with Guam Police responding to the tragedy unfolding at around 2:09 a.m. along Route 4 in Sinajana - the driver reportedly losing control and veering off the roadway, ultimately crashing into a pump station with flames engulfing the car upon impact.

Four passersby pulling the victim out of the car before the fire could fully take over; the Guam Fire Department extinguishing the blaze, as the victim was transported to Naval Hospital and later pronounced deceased by attending physicians.

Mayor Hoffman telling KUAM the victim was making his way back home to his fiancee after ending his shift at Ross. "His fi

ancee was expecting him home that evening, and she was even told to turn around, and she was like, 'Why can’t I pass the roads?', 'no you got to turn around and find another way to get home', So, she did, only to get home and receive the call from authorities to come down and check out what happened, and so it really is heartbreaking to receive that news. It's it’s still something that she has to process as well and the family has to process. I understand his mother is also off-island, so having to make that phone call is also very difficult.”

Hoffman adding the area of the crash is a tricky one to navigate - the mayor recalling nearly five accidents prior to this alone. “That area is paved to the standard where it’s non-skid area, but it is such a tricky curve, as you get up to the area here, so, you know, sometimes people are fatigued and tired, and they don’t realize it turns so abruptly, or sometimes speed is a factor, it really depends on what the issues were. There were all different factors of the other accidents that happened in that one area," he said.

It’s too many lives claimed by the island’s roads, Mayor Hoffman urging the community to drive cautiously. “Drive defensively, drive safely, and if you’re tired, ask someone to pick you up and take you–like I said, I feel bad for the family. He was a hard worker," he said.

Hoffman remembering him as a hard worker, amongst other things, leaving this message with his loved ones. “It really breaks our heart, and to have such a close connection to many people where he stayed at, he was very friendly, very kind with everybody. We were just reaching out, so we’ve been assisting the families, helping schedule mass, rosaries, stuff like that, and seeing what we could do. It is very tragic; we’ll never know the real reason of what happened there, but for it to… just for it to happen, our hearts go out to his fiancee and his family," he said.

Despite Mayor Hoffman confirming the victim is a resident of Sinajana, Guam police say official identification is pending confirmation with next of kin.

This marks the 19th serious traffic crash and 23rd fatality. The investigation into the crash is ongoing and remains open with the Guam Highway Patrol Division.