Footage captured lead-up to horror crash that killed five teens

Police will allege the driver of a ute that hit a tree, killing five NSW teenagers, uttered seven words moments after the horrific crash.

Footage captured in the lead-up to a horror NSW crash that claimed five young lives could be used to prosecute the driver, a court has been told.

Tyrell Edwards was refused bail at Picton Court on Thursday after a magistrate was told the 18-year-old had a history of speeding and multiple licence suspensions.

Mr Edwards was behind the wheel when his Nissan Navara smashed into a tree in Buxton, an hour south of Sydney, on Tuesday night.

Five of his friends, aged between 14 and 16, were killed in the incident that left him with only minor injuries.

Police will allege in court that in the moments following the crash, witnesses reported hearing Mr Edwards say, “I f—ked up, I’m going to jail”.

On Wednesday, the 18-year-old was charged with five counts of dangerous driving occasioning death – driving in a manner dangerous.

Tyrell Edwards has been refused bail following a horror crash in Sydney’s south that claimed five lives. Picture: Facebook

According to court documents, police located a video on Mr Edwards’ phone taken roughly an hour before the crash that showed him driving dangerously while travelling at speeds of around 90 km/h.

Mr Edwards is seen holding his phone with one hand while “purposely and aggressively” turning the wheel with the other as the vehicle swerves “violently”, court documents stated.

At the time only the two male victims were in the car. They can be heard laughing and yelling with loud music in the background.

One of the passengers can be heard saying, “We’re going to spin out cuz.”

Prosecutors said the footage displayed a “high level of moral culpability” regarding Mr Edwards’ role in the crash that would follow.

“The footage supports the elements of the offences that would see the accused serving a full-time custodial sentence,” prosecutor Sharon Garvutt said.

Mobile phone footage captured Mr Edwards driving recklessly in the lead-up to the crash, according to court documents. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

Mr Edwards appeared in court via video link from Narellan Police Station wearing a black hoodie.

He appeared composed, only speaking to confirm that he could hear proceedings and he understood the outcome.

The court also heard Mr Edwards’ had his provisional licence suspended twice for speeding in just over a year.

On both occasions Mr Edwards lost his licence for three months for travelling between 10 and 20 km/h over the speed limit.

Despite Mr Edwards having no criminal history, magistrate Mark Douglass said he had concerns about him abiding by any bail conditions imposed.

The court was also told that Mr Edwards had suffered from anxiety in the past and was “significantly traumatised” by the incident.

According to police facts, the cab of the ute was torn open by the severity of the impact and the rear passenger seat ejected from the vehicle.

“The four passengers in the rear seat were ejected from the vehicle and located a short distance away,” police facts stated.

The court also heard Mr Edwards (pictured) had his licence suspended twice for speeding.

Following the crash, Mr Edwards was taken to Liverpool Hospital for mandatory blood and alcohol testing before being released into the care of his mother.

According to police, an initial breath test conducted at the scene was negative.

In a preliminary interview with police, Mr Edwards claimed the crash had been caused by a steering fault within the vehicle that he described as “shaking, going left to right”, according to police documents.

Police facts stated that this account was inconsistent with evidence from the scene.

Officers returned to Mr Edwards’ residence in Bargo to arrest him shortly before 2pm on Wednesday.

He was taken to Narellan Police Station, where he was charged and refused bail.

Emergency services were called to the intersection of Orange Rd and East Parade, Buxton, at around 8pm on Monday.

Images of the crash site show an obliterated vehicle, next to which Mr Edwards was found with non-life threatening injuries.

Three teenage girls – two aged 14 and one aged 15 – and two teenage boys – one aged 15 and one aged 16 – died at the scene.

Acting Inspector Jason Hogan, from the metropolitan crash investigation unit, described the scene as “confronting”.

“At this stage, we are investigating all lines of inquiry, but our preliminary investigations would indicate that speed is a possible factor in relation to this crash,” he said.

Police have appealed for any information or dashcam footage that could assist with their inquiries.