16-year-old Lodi High student identified as driver killed in south Sacramento County crash

A 16-year-old Lodi High School student, less than two weeks away from his birthday, died Sunday after a south Sacramento County collision in which his vehicle slammed into a tree, authorities and family said.

Brennan Mendoza, a student at Lodi High School, was driving with a passenger eastbound on Twin Cities Road and approaching Alta Mesa Road when he crashed into a tree in Herald, authorities said.

Mendoza was unconscious at the scene and was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, said Officer Mark Leavitt, a spokesperson with the California Highway Patrol’s South Sacramento office. The Sacramento County Coroner’s Office said the teenager was a Lodi resident.

Mendoza was going to turn 17 on March 5, according to a GoFundMe created by the passenger’s family.

The 17-year-old passenger with Mendoza suffered a laceration to his arm and had a complaint of pain, Leavitt said.

Mendoza’s family said he had “big dreams and a good heart,” according to a GoFundMe created by his family. The fundraiser is raising money for his funeral costs.

“He was a fan of trucks and lived life to the fullest, leaving a huge void in the hearts of his family and friends,” his family wrote in the GoFundMe.