18-year-old ASU student dies in Phoenix crash

An 18-year-old girl has died following a collision involving four vehicles in Phoenix Wednesday night, officials said.

Arizona State University student Nora Risha, 18, was ejected from a van after a 2006 silver Nissan struck the car she was traveling in. Two other teenagers, ages 16 and 14, also suffered serious injuries, but are expected to survive, according to a press release from the Phoenix Police Department.

Students and officials at McClintock High School mourned her death Thursday.

Risha, who graduated in May, was popular with students and teachers at the high school, said Tempe police Detective Brandon Banks, who is assigned to the school.

He said Risha was active in Muslim student associations at McClintock and ASU.

A 14-year-old teen who was also in Risha's car is a freshman at McClintock, Banks said.

"It's been very difficult for many students on campus today," he said.

The crash occurred at around 10 p.m. near the intersection of 43rd Avenue and Cactus Road in Phoenix, said police spokesman Tony Morales.

The roads were closed following the accident and reopened at around 7 a.m. Thursday morning, Morales said.

Witnesses said they saw the driver of the Nissan run a red a light going northbound on 43rd Avenue.

Officials said Armando Garcia Jacobo Jr., the 43-year-old driver of the Nissan, is under investigation and is believed to have been impaired. He was taken to John C. Lincoln Hospital to be treated for back injuries.

Jacobo was booked for one count of second-degree murder and seven counts of aggravated assault, Morales said.

The other vehicles involved in the crash have not been identified.