NEW BRUNSWICK — The brother of one of the two young men who died when the car they were in plunged into the Raritan River off Route 18 said they were racing at the time, according to a report.

Christopher Lantigua told NJ Advance Media his brother, Kelvin Lantigua, 21 of New Brunswick and Richard Veras-Toribio, 22, of North Brunswick were "going pretty fast" when Veras-Torbio lost control of his 2009 Honda Accord on the northbound side just before the George Street exit.

Christopher Lantigua said he'd been in the car earlier, but got out at his own New Brunswick residence when his girlfriend convinced him to get a bite to eat, according to the report. He also said Christopher Lantigua said he was told by friends his older brother and Veras-Toribio knew the people in the car they were racing.

Police have not released any details about another car involved in the incident.

"That same night, I was with him. We were hanging out in front of my house," Christopher Lantigua said, according to the report. "We were talking to my friend, Robert, (and) he was talking about racing. I didn't think about the worst stuff that could happen. He used to do stuff like that with his old car. But I left him."

New Brunswick Police have said the car driven by Veras-Torbio went through a guardrail and into the Raritan River. Veras-Torbio was ejected from the car while Lantigua had to be removed from the car, according to police, who said both died at the scene.

"I don't have any details on that yet," New Brunswick Police Lieutenant Amish Shah told New Jersey 101.5 when asked about the report. "The officers are still investigating the incident and what the causes were and what the circumstances were."

A police announcement about the incident said friends were among the first at the crash scene and began administering CPR. It didn't explain why friends were at the scene.

GoFundMe pages are accepting donations for the funeral expenses for both men. The page Help Raise Money for Robert was created to help Veras-Toribio's family, while the page Funeral Funds is to held Lantiqua's family.

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