Updated 4:35 p.m.
Two people, including a Queens high school student, were killed after their vehicle hit a tree off of the Long Island Expressway Tuesday.
Jennifer Gao, 16, of Oakland Gardens lost her life in the crash. Police identified the driver, who also died in the accident, as 19-year-old Jiahao Liang of Middletown, N.Y.
Teary-eyed family members declined to comment on Gao or the accident.
The accident happened just before 1 .a.m. Tuesday near Utopia Parkway and Kissena Boulevard, between exits 24 and 25, cops said.
An Audi sedan was driving westbound down the expressway when the car went off the roadway, turned on its side and crashed into a tree, police said.
The driver and Gao were pronounced dead at the scene, according to the NYPD.
A preliminary investigation found that speed was likely a factor in the accident, police said.
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