Clovis high school teens killed in Friday night crash, police say

Two high-schoolers from Clovis were killed Friday night after their car crashed into a tree, according to authorities.

The boys were identified Saturday morning as Jack Schwass, 17, from Gateway High School and Thomas Brown, 16, from Clovis High School.

Several people called police at 11:41 p.m. when the crash happened at Bullard and Armstrong avenues, according to a news release from Clovis Police Department.

Both boys inside the 2001 Jaguar 3 Series were pinned in and the car was badly damaged, officers said.

After Clovis Fire Department and American Ambulance officials arrived, the boys were pronounced dead at the scene.

Brown, a junior, was a member on the Clovis High football and wrestling teams. The Cougars posted a message on Twitter.

Clovis Unified issued a statement Saturday afternoon.

“Our hearts are broken today as our educational team, students and community mourn the loss of Clovis High junior Thomas Brown and Gateway senior Jack Schwass. We are pulling together as a Clovis Unified family to support each other and our students as we grieve, and our team of trained school psychologists and counselors will be on hand Tuesday for extra support. Thomas was an honor student and athlete, and Jack was well known on his school campus as well having attended Clovis Unified since kindergarten. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Brown and Schwass families, and everyone touched by this terrible tragedy.”

Officials are investigating if drugs or alcohol were a factor in the crash, police said.

This story was originally published February 8, 2020 at 11:51 AM.