Five dead in Newport Beach crash Scene of Newport Beach crash that killed five. Jill Cowen By Lauren Williams May 27, 2013, 8:03 p.m. Five people died Monday evening in a fiery Newport Beach car crash that split a vehicle in half, police said. The crash took place about 5:20 p.m. on Jamboree Road near Island Lagoon Drive, according to Newport Beach Police Department spokeswoman Kathy Lowe. The car, an Infiniti, veered off the road and into a center divider, where it split in half and caught fire, Lowe said. Four people were thrown from the vehicle, and one was partially ejected, police said. Four were pronounced dead at the scene, and one person was taken to a trauma center and pronounced dead, according to Lowe. Police sent an email alert to residents urging them to avoid the stretch of Jamboree Road from Pacific Coast Highway to San Joaquin Hills Road until 2:30 a.m. The cause of the crash was under investigation. @laurenwilliams30