While California Highway Patrol officers are continuing to investigate Saturday’s Rowher Flats crash that killed a 25-year-old women and severely injured a man, officials report Sunday that alcohol may have been a factor in the fatal crash.

“A young man from the Granada Hills area was driving a 1996 Jeep Cherokee with a female passenger,” said CHP Officer John Lutz. “For whatever reason while climbing the hill, he lost control of the vehicle and it tumbled backwards down the hill.”

The male driver was ejected from the vehicle, sustained major injuries and was flown to the Antelope Valley Hospital, Lutz said. The 25-year-old Caucasian female passenger from Redlands remained in the vehicle as it tumbled down a 1,500-foot embankment. 

The female was pronounced dead at the scene at 3:06 p.m., said Cheryl Sims, supervising fire dispatcher for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, in a previous interview.

The identity of the female passenger is not being released until the next of kin has been notified, said Lt. Fred Corral of the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner.

The crash occurred around 2 p.m. Jan. 10 in Rowher Flats, an off-roading area in the Angeles National Forest between Bouquet Canyon Road and Sierra Highway.

The incident is still under investigation and CHP officials believe alcohol was a factor in the crash, Lutz said.