Two graduate students die in car crash

Two students were killed in a car crash five miles from campus early Thursday. Chengye Hou and Yifan Tao were graduate students in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, according to an email sent to students, faculty and staff by Rebecca Reed Kantrowitz, senior vice president and dean of the Division of Student Affairs.

Another student was in the car with Hou and Tao and is currently being treated for injuries that are not life threatening.

Hou earned his bachelor's degree from Syracuse University and was pursuing his master's in mechanical and aerospace engineering. Tao was a first-year master's student studying mechanical and aerospace engineering. Both students were from China. 

A Syracuse.com article by Jacob Pucci posted early Thursday morning reported a crash outside Clark Reservation State Park in DeWitt that left two people dead and one hospitalized. Onondaga County Sherriff's Detective Jon Seeber said the crash occurred around 12:39 a.m. on the East Seneca Turnpike in front of the park. The article did not list the identities of the victims.

According to the article, a four-door sedan was heading east on the turnpike when it crossed over into the westbound lane and struck a tree off the north shoulder of the road. The driver and the rear passenger were pronounced dead at the scene, while the front-seat passenger was rushed to Upstate University Hospital.

The East Seneca Turnpike is now open after being closed this morning from Sewickley Drive to Bamerick Road while the sheriff's office investigated the crash.

The NewsHouse will update as more information is received.