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A night of Christmas carols ended in tragedy Sunday after a single-car crash killed a teen and injured three others, police said. Samuel Chiriac, 16, of Battle Ground, died in a single-car crash Sunday near Southeast 103rd Avenue and Mt. Scott Boulevard after he and friends spent the evening singing carols, police spokesman Sgt. Pete Simpson said in a news release.

(The Oregonian/OregonLive/file)

A night of Christmas carols ended in tragedy early Sunday morning after a single-car crash killed a teen and injured three others, police said.

Samuel Chiriac, 16, of Battle Ground, died in a single-car crash on Mt. Scott Boulevard near Southeast 103rd Avenue after he and friends spent Saturday evening singing carols, police spokesman Sgt. Pete Simpson said in a news release. Officers had responded just before 2 a.m. Sunday and found a 1992 Volkswagen Cabriolet down an embankment, Simpson had said.

Emergency crews rushed Seba Pop, 17, of West Linn, to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. Caleb Pop, 15, and Timothy Posteucha, 17, of Northeast Portland, suffered serious injuries and are expected to survive, Simpson said. A fifth passenger, Johnny Cristurean, 14, of Wood Village was not injured.

Investigators learned the teens were traveling in a caravan of three cars when the crash occurred. They were coming from Happy Valley to Wilsonville after singing at a variety of homes of members to a Southeast Portland Romanian church, Simpson said.

Seba Pop, the Volkswagen's driver, attempted to pass one of his friend in an oncoming lane and missed a sharp turn, forcing the car to run off the roadway, Simpson said.

"Dense fog may have played a factor in the crash," Simpson said. Officers don't suspect impairment in any of the occupants inside the three vehicles, he said.

Chiriac's death is the 43rd traffic fatality in the city this year. The crash remains under investigation. This post will be updated as news develops.

-- Tony Hernandez

thernandez@oregonian.com

503-294-5928

@tonyhreports