OC Register Editor Eugene Harbrecht Killed In Auto Accident

SANTA ANA, CA —Two cars racing in Santa Ana slammed into a longtime newspaper editor, resulting in his death, Thursday, according to officials.

One driver was hospitalized in the event. The other is under arrest as of this report.

Just before 11:45 a.m., at the intersection of Bristol Street and Santa Clara, a BMW and a black Infiniti were racing each other north on Bristol, Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said.

Two residents dashed out of their nearby home to help pull the driver out of the wreckage as a police officer on the scene helped extinguish the blaze, Bertagna said.

Eugene Harbrecht, 67, the driver of the car not racing, was rushed to UC Irvine Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Harbreched, a Santa Ana resident, was employed by the Orange County Register since 1984. According to the newspaper, he served as the national and international news editor for the greater Southern California News Group.

According to Bertagna, the driver of the totaled BMW taken by ambulance to an area hospital in unknown condition.

Police later tracked down the driver of the black Infiniti and took him into custody.

Their names were not immediately released.