A 17-year-old who was drag racing at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour slammed his black 1994 Corvette into another car early Thursday, instantly killing three motorists, Miami police said.

The three victims – 18, 19 and 21 years old – were not part of the 3 a.m. race along U.S. 1 near Miami’s Coconut Grove. They had strayed into the path of the speeding Corvette as it raced with a black 1989 Mustang, police said.

The high-speed collision split the victims’ 1981 Chevrolet Chevette in half, throwing the driver, Alvaro Cadenas, 19, of Coral Gables, from the car and killing him. Passengers Luis Jerez, 21, and Carlos Rios, 18, both of Miami, also died in the mangled wreck, police said.

Cadenas and Rios were students at the University of Florida and were home for the holidays, said Robert Fabricio, who shared an apartment with the two in Gainesville.

“The Corvette pierced through the Chevette like a knife through butter,” said Miami police spokesman Officer David Magnusson. “It was a terrible scene.”The wreckage spread for blocks. Both cars were totaled.

Charges are pending in the accident. Police are still searching for the driver of the black Mustang, which fled the scene.

The driver of the Corvette, Francisco del Rey, of Coral Gables, is in serious condition at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. His passengers, Carlos Brito, 20, is in critical condition and Michael Viaros, 18, is in serious condition at the hospital. Those inside the Corvette may have survived because the car had air bags.

This is what police say happened:

The Corvette and the Mustang were racing southbound off Interstate 95 onto U.S. 1 at speeds of up to 100 miles, police said. Witnesses told police that as the Corvette crossed into the intersection of Southwest 17th Avenue, it struck the side of the Chevette, which was making a left turn onto 17th Avenue.

“They were great guys and very serious about their studies,” Fabricio said. The trio, he said, had been at a Coconut Grove club and were headed home at the time of the accident.

This marks the second time in two months that drag racing has led to death in South Florida. On Oct. 10, two Broward men watching an illegal drag race on County Line Road were killed when a car careened into a crowd. Juan Carlos Piniero, 24, of Hollywood, and Paul Cheeks, 22, of Miramar, were killed.