A high-speed car accident killed two young Anchorage men early Monday morning in downtown Wasilla, police say.
The crash came at 4:18 a.m. when an eastbound 2008 Ford Fusion driven by Gerald Tallman III left the roadway for unknown reasons and smashed into a retaining wall along Swanson Avenue at Main Street, police said.
Tallman and passenger Ross Ripple, 23, were declared dead at the scene.
The speed limit in the area is 25 mph, said Sgt. Ken Conn. When police investigated the crash, they found the car's speedometer stuck at 80 mph.
It's unclear if that's how fast the car was driving, Conn said, but the vehicle appeared to be speeding given the severity of the single-vehicle crash.
"It was enough impact that it ripped the car in two. Literally," Conn said.
Tallman's age was not immediately available, though police say he was also in his 20s.
Twitter updates: twitter.com/adn_kylehopkins. Call Kyle Hopkins at 257-4334 or email khopkins@adn.com.
By KYLE HOPKINS
khopkins@adn.com