A street racer responsible for a devastating crash that left twin girls orphaned has pleaded no contest to vehicular manslaughter. Kyle Harrison, 25, from Redwood City, admitted to his role in the deadly accident during a court appearance this week. The tragedy unfolded on November 4, 2022, when Harrison, racing his BMW against a teenage driver in a Mercedes, caused a collision that killed a family on El Camino Real in Redwood City.
Harrison and the teenage driver, 17-year-old Cesar Morales, did not know each other before the incident. Investigators revealed that the two racers had revved their engines at a red light before speeding off at 80-90 miles per hour when the light turned green. As they raced down the street, Morales’ speeding Mercedes crashed into a Chevrolet Bolt carrying a family.
Grace Spiridon and her husband, Gregory Ammen, were killed instantly upon impact. Their twin daughters, Madison and Olivia, both 7 years old, miraculously survived in the backseat, prosecutors reported. Spiridon, a dedicated runner and accomplished professional with dual MBAs from UC Berkeley and Columbia University, had recently been promoted at her job at Google. The family had been driving home to San Carlos when the crash occurred.
While Morales was found at the scene injured, Harrison fled. A witness, however, captured Harrison’s BMW license plate number on her cellphone, which helped authorities locate and arrest him two weeks later.
Niall McCarthy, the attorney representing the victims’ family, called the incident a reflection of a growing problem, saying, “This case arises from a brutal indifference to human life. The Bay Area has an epidemic of people who gamble with the lives of others by street racing.”
Morales, who was 17 at the time of the crash and is now 19, is facing a separate trial. Prosecutors have been pushing to transfer his case from juvenile to adult court, but in June, San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Susan Irene Etezadi denied the request. Morales’ trial will proceed in juvenile court, with the first hearing scheduled for Thursday.
On Monday, Harrison pleaded no contest to charges of engaging in a speed contest resulting in death and felony vehicular manslaughter. He is set to be sentenced on December 2 by Judge Sean Dabel and faces a maximum sentence of nine years and four months in state prison.
In the aftermath of the crash, a GoFundMe page was created to support the orphaned twin girls. The campaign raised over half a million dollars, with the page stating: “The world lost two beautiful souls, and leaves two amazing girls without parents. Grace and Greg were outstanding people and lights of love, support, and inspiration to countless friends, family, co-workers, and their community. Nothing mattered more to them than Madison and Olivia.”
