4 Chester County teens killed in crash

Four Coatesville Area School District students were killed early Sunday morning when their car flipped and slid up an embankment near a challenging stretch of two-lane road in West Brandywine Township.

The West Brandywine police department said in a statement that the crash occurred just before 1 a.m. in the 1300 block of North Manor Road. Police said the students - all boys under 18 - were ejected during the crash.

"Names are not being disclosed at this time due to the pending investigation," police said in a statement.

In two interviews, police declined to say anything else about the crash or the investigation.

The students were identified by family members, neighbors or friends, some at the site of the crash and some in interviews.

The four were Collin McElroy, 16; Evan Pringle, 15; Jerry Warfel, 14, and Kyle Marsh, whose age could not be determined.

"Due to the tragic loss of four Coatesville Area School District students, a drop-in grief counseling center will be available to students and staff on Tuesday, July 5th from 9 a.m.," said a statement on the school website.

The crash occurred as the car traveled north on Route 82. The road is narrow and, in places, has lots of twists and turns, though at the scene of the crash it is straight. The area has tall trees with a canopy of leaves that would make it quite dark at night.

The car left Route 82 just past the intersection of Route 322 - an intersection that can be dangerous because of the bump caused by Route 322.

Indeed, there is a sign with blinking lights that says "Dip 200 feet."

The marks on the road suggest the driver of the car did not handle the bump.

Police would not say who was driving the car or the make and model.

Friends and family stopped by the scene to lay flowers and hats, footballs and baseballs.

Collin McElroy was going into 11th grade. His Facebook page and friends indicated he loved baseball and riding four-wheelers.

Sean Malone, 17, said he drove with and played in a baseball game with McElroy two days before the accident. Malone left a baseball, that said, "Gone but never forgotten. We'll miss you CMac. Love, Sean Malone."

"He was a speed demon," Malone said. "He rode dirt bikes and it looks like he came up too fast [to the bump]."

Bob Smith, who coached McElroy on one of the baseball teams he played on, came to the scene with his son, Dylan, 17.

"He loved baseball and he loved fast cars," Dylan said of McElroy. "He had a Honda Prelude with 260,000 miles on it. He wished it was a race car."

Chris Paulsen, the uncle of Jerry Warfel, is an emergency medical technician.

"I've seen a lot of these, but it's not the same when it's your own family," Paulsen said, standing near the crash site. "He was a good kid. A very good artist. A talented musician. And he loved to restore old cars. He and his dad were restoring an old Nova."

Contact staff writer David O'Reilly at 215-854-5723 or doreilly@phillynews.com.