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Police Identify 4 NY Crash Victims

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) -- Relatives say four Rochester men who died in a fiery crash when a speeding car slammed into a railroad bridge abutment were a close-knit group who attended the same church.

Police identified the victims Tuesday as Kamel Minor, 34; Jerrell Facen, 28; Robert Johnson Jr., 33; and Cedric Madlock, 31. They died Friday night when the out-of-control car crossed a median and struck a bridge support in Rochester.

Investigators said they have not yet determined whether the men were "attempting to flee from anyone.'' Some witnesses said the car was speeding without its headlights on.

The results of toxicology tests won't be known for a few weeks.

Paramedics said they arrived to find the car engulfed in flames. Two men were trapped in the vehicle, one was thrown out of it and the fourth was partially ejected, police said.

At a weekend vigil, relatives described the men as longtime friends who shared membership in the same church. Minor's former girlfriend, Jeanetta Demary, said he was saving through a layaway plan to buy their daughter, Kayma, an expensive necklace for her 11th birthday.

The couple split up about a year ago, but "I'm going to try and pay the balance and get it for her,'' Demary told the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.

An examination of the crash scene, making use of computer simulations, has yet to establish the approximate speed of the vehicle, said police spokesman Officer Stephen Scott.

Police have been interviewing witnesses and family and friends of the deceased in trying to determine where the men were coming from and where they were going, Scott said.

(Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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