Alijah Arenas, the Chatsworth High star and crown jewel of USC’s incoming recruiting class, was involved in a serious Cybertruck accident on Thursday morning, a person familiar with the situation not authorized to discuss it publicly told The Times.
Arenas was in a Tesla Cybertruck early Thursday morning, when the vehicle lost control near the corner of Corbin Avenue and Blythe Street in Reseda. The crash occurred at 4:56 a.m., when the Cybertruck struck a fire hydrant and tree. The 18-year-old driver was pulled from the wreckage of the vehicle and taken to a nearby hospital and was stable, according to LAPD Officer Rosario Cervantes. A source told The Times that drugs and alcohol were not involved in the crash.
A tree and caution tape remain at the scene of a Cybertruck crash involving Chatsworth basketball star Alijah Arenas on Thursday.
(Ryan Kartje / Los Angeles Times)
A video obtained by TMZ shot after the crash shows the Cybertruck sheered off a fire hydrant that sprayed water over the vehicle embedded into a tree. Witnesses worked to pull Arenas out of the truck and he rested in water pooling on the street as a person shooting video of the scene shouted at him to “get up.” Firefighters them arrived and began treating Arenas.
Arenas was placed in a coma, a person with knowledge of the crash told The Times. ESPN’s Shams Charania was the first to report the crash and Arenas’ condition and referred to the coma as medically induced.
Hours after the crash, the Cybertruck was taken from the scene and burst into flames at a tow yard. According to a source, the Los Angeles Fire Hazard Mat responded to the ensuing hazardous materials incident.
Alijah is the son of former NBA player Gilbert Arenas, who canceled plans to stream a new episode of his online show Thursday. His mother, Laura Govan, posted on Instagram shortly after asking for “all your … prayers.”
A top-10 recruit in the 2025 class, Alijah Arenas led Chatsworth High to the CIF Division II state championship game in March. He left Chatsworth as the all-time City Section scoring leader, with more than 3,000 points, and recently competed in the McDonald’s All-American game.
Arenas was slated to play a major role as a freshman at USC after choosing the Trojans over more established basketball powers like Arizona, Kansas and Kentucky.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Alijah and his family following this morning’s accident,” USC men’s basketball coach Musselman said in a statement posted by USC on its social media accounts. “Please keep him, his teammates and friends, and the entire Arenas family in your prayers.”
Chatsworth students had the day off from school Thursday in observance of Armenian Genocide Memorial Day.
