Jesus Montenegro-Posada, 35, also known as Melo, died in the early hours of Sunday morning

A drag racer died in a horror crash in the early hours of Sunday morning after filming his final minutes onInstagram.

Jesus Montenegro-Posada, 35, also known as Melo, died after wrapping his 1997 Honda Civic around a telephone pole in Queens, New York, during a race.

After slamming into the pole, the vehicle spun into the air and came apart before landing in a mangled heap with Posada still inside it, according to witnesses.

He was racing another car at the time but no more details have yet emerged.

Posada was well known in the underground racing community because of his ability to tune cars.

Shortly before he died, a video was uploaded to his Instagram story which showed two vehicles revving and speeding off.

It is unclear if the footage, which was obtained by The New York Post, showed him or if it was of a previous race.

This was what was left of the 35-year-old's 1997 Honda Civic after he crashed it into a telephone pole while racing in Sunnyside, Queens, on Sunday morning. Posada was killed instantly as the car hit the pole then split in to pieces

Parts of the car went flying over the street while he was stuck in the driver's seat at around 1am on Sunday

Posada was racing another driver at the time. Members of the racing world said he was talented and known for his ability to tune Hondas

The front half of the car was cleanly split off from the rest of it on impact. Police have not said how fast they think he was going at the time

The accident is being investigated by the NYPD. So far, no arrests have been made in connection to it.

Local officials however said it was indicative of the dangerous drag racing culture which is a problem for the area.

'We know how dangerous it is, and last night we saw how deadly it is.

Posada uploaded a video of cars racing to his Instagram story moments before he participated in the crash which claimed his life

'It's not going to stop, I fear, even with this tragic crash, unless measures are taken,' Queens City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer told NY 1.

Posada was an immigrant from Colombia.

Since his death, members of the drag racing community have paid tribute to him on social media and on a GoFundMe page set up to support his family.

They praised his talents and said he was a 'very intelligent', 'amazing' guy.