HOUSTON, TX – A 15-year-old male passenger was killed after a gray Kia Sportage crashed and split in half along the Katy Freeway in west Houston.

The crash occurred around 4:25 a.m. in the 18200 block of the Katy Freeway near the Greenhouse exit. According to the Houston Police Department Vehicular Crimes Division, the SUV was traveling at a high rate of speed while taking the Greenhouse exit when it clipped an exit sign, left the roadway onto a grassy area, struck a tree, then went sideways into another tree, causing the vehicle to split in half.

One male passenger, 15, was ejected and pronounced deceased at the scene. The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences is pending notification to family members before releasing his identity.

Houston Fire Department paramedics transported the male driver, 16, and another male passenger, 24, to an area hospital. No other vehicles were involved.

The investigation is ongoing.