A young man who died with his girlfriend in a fiery crash in an upmarket Melbourne suburb has been remembered by loved ones – as the couple’s final moments were revealed.
Marcus Watson, 20, was driving his parents’ BMW when he lost control as he rounded a bend in Toorak and crashed onto the pavement at around 8pm on Thursday evening.
The car then crashed into a tree before bursting into flames, as shocked neighbors rushed to the scene after hearing screams from the burning vehicle.
Little could be done to save Mr Watson and his female passenger, 22, who both died at the scene. The Berwick woman has yet to be named.
CCTV footage from a nearby house showed the BMW driving down the street just before the crash, followed minutes later by an emergency vehicle with flashing lights.
Marcus Watson, 20, (right) was a mile from home when he was killed in a fiery crash
CCTC shows the speeding BMW speeding through the streets moments before Mr Watson lost control and crashed into a tree
Mr Watson’s death just a mile from home sparked an outpouring of tributes led by his sister Gabby.
‘My little brother. I’ve never said it enough, but I love you,” she wrote on social media.
‘You will always be my little brother. My heart is broken and it can never be mended.
‘You are and will remain my world.
“You taught me to pull up when I needed to and you made me happy.”
Shocked residents who rushed to the couple’s aid said there was nothing they could do.
“You could see that the actual explosion was several meters in diameter,” a local resident told Nine News.
One woman added: ‘I heard a car go by really fast and heard a bang.
‘We got out of here. There were people everywhere.’
Police have described the deaths of Marcus and his girlfriend as an avoidable tragedy
The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash continues.
It comes as police launched a road safety drive ahead of the state’s long weekend.
“Overwhelmingly, this is a tragedy that was completely avoidable,” said Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner David Fitzpatrick.
“There are now two families planning funerals instead of enjoying the long weekend.”
The double fatality brought the state’s road toll to 50 lives lost so far in 2024.
Residents heard screams from a burning car before the couple died at the scene