Irvine Police Investigating Fatal Traffic Collision in Woodbridge North Lake

November 24, 2023 4:15 pm

People left flowers at the car crash site. (Photo credit: Keyang Pang)

IRVINE, Calif. (November 24, 2023) – A 30-year-old woman has died after her vehicle went into the lake.

At 9:57 p.m. last night, IPD officers and the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) responded to the area of Yale, south of Irvine Center Drive, where West Yale Loop and East Yale Loop meet, for reports of a vehicle that drove into the lake. The witness reported the vehicle traveled south on Yale from Irvine Center Drive and continued up over the curb and into the lake.

The Orange County Fire Authority’s swift water rescue team searches North Lake in Irvine’s Woodbridge housing development on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023 after a 30-year-old woman’s car plunged into the water. The woman from Rosemead was found dead. (Photo courtesy OCFA)

The Orange County Fire Authority’s swift water rescue team searches North Lake in Irvine’s Woodbridge community on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023 after a 30-year-old woman’s car plunged into the water. The woman from Rosemead was found dead. (Photo credit: OCFA)

OCFA was able to locate the vehicle submerged about 30 yards from the water’s edge. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department Dive Team responded to assist with the search. Once the vehicle was brought to the surface, the female driver and solo occupant was recovered inside and pronounced deceased at the scene. She was identified as Camilla Megan Mendoza of Long Beach.

The vehicle, a silver Mercedes 4-door sedan, was removed from the lake and towed from the scene.

IPD’s Major Accident Investigation Team (MAIT) is investigating the cause of this collision. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Christopher Ostrowski at 949-724-7047 or email costrowski@cityofirvine.org.