Two people are dead after their car hit a tree in northeast Minneapolis early Saturday.

Police responded to a crash at 2:22 a.m. near the intersection of 37th and University Avenues NE. The car had stopped after hitting a tree off the shoulder of the northbound lane of University Avenue, police said.

Five people were in the vehicle. The front-seat passenger, an adult female, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver, a man, died as he was being taken to the hospital.

Three passengers in the back seat, all adults, were taken to Hennepin County Medical Center with injuries but are expected to survive. Minneapolis police are investigating the cause of the accident.

The names of the two dead victims will be released by the medical examiner’s office.

DAVID CHANEN