Updated March 8
By Alejandro Serrano, deputy news editor
The two Northeastern University students killed in a car crash in Dubai were in the same accident that killed a Canadian boxer and another man on Sunday morning, according to several media outlets.
At 12:40 a.m., local time in Dubai, a yellow Ferrari 458 crashed into a lamppost, splitting in half and killing all four people inside of it, according to a March 8 7Days report.
The Northeastern students were identified as Victoria McGrath, a senior studying finance and international affairs, and Priscilla Perez Torres, a senior biology major and the boxer as Cody Nixon, 24, and his friend.
“Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Victoria McGrath and Priscilla Perez Torres in this extremely difficult time,” the university said in a statement.
On Saturday Nixon had posted a picture on Instagram posing with the Ferrari captioned “Just landed into Dubai picked up the Ferrari! Don’t worry I won’t speed ;)”
The News has not been able to contact Dubai police.
Initial reports had not identified the two women in the accident, however the two female victims were identified as the two Northeastern students early on March 8.
McGrath was a survivor of the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing. She was at the site of the first explosion when shrapnel from an explosion injured her, according to News archives.
“Our hearts ache for the family & friends of our former patient Victoria McGrath. She made a lasting impact on those who knew her,” Tufts Medical Center staff said over Twitter Monday morning.
According to a March 7 report from The Boston Globe, the two students “were on a personal trip, not studying abroad.”
“It is with the deepest sadness that I write to inform you that Victoria McGrath, DMSB ’16, and Priscilla Perez Torres, COS ’16, have perished in a car accident while traveling overseas,” NU President Joseph E. Aoun wrote in a letter to the Northeastern community. “This is a heartbreaking loss to their families, friends, and to all of us in the Northeastern family.”
