Alijah Arenas accident update: Smoke inhalation caused induced coma

ESPN's Shams Charania reported Arenas was placed into an induced coma after a car accident Thursday morning.

Alijah Arenas of Chatworth take a foul shot during the California (CIF) State Division 2 title game at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. / Photo by Ralph Thompsom

ESPN's Shams Charania reported that 5-star guard Alijah Arenas from Chatsworth High in Southern California was involved in a serious car accident early Thursday morning.

Charania's tweet at 11:22 a.m. reports the crash hospitalized Arenas, 18, and placed him into an induced coma.

Five-star prospect and USC commit Alijah Arenas was involved in a serious car crash early Thursday morning, hospitalized and placed into an induced coma, sources tell ESPN. Arenas, 18, is the son of former NBA star Gilbert Arenas.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 24, 2025

Arenas is the son of former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas and is committed to play for USC.

UPDATE ON ARENAS' STATUS

ALIJAH ARENAS UPDATE: Arenas was in an accident driving a Cyber Truck. It caught on fire, and he inhaled a lot of smoke. According to sources, this was the reason for induced coma (protocol for smoke inhalation).

Arenas suffered no major bodily injuries. https://t.co/X8EGFaVG74

— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) April 24, 2025

High School On SI was able to find out that Arenas was involved in a car accident while driving a Tesla Cybertruck. The vehicle hit a large tree and fire hydrant before catching fire. Arenas inhaled smoke, which is why he was induced into a coma, according to sources, who say inducing a coma is considered "protocol for smoke inhalation."

Arenas suffered no broken bones or significant bodily injury.

According to police reports, the accident happened just before 5 a.m. Thursday morning.

#AlijahArenas rolled on the ground in a huge puddle of water just moments after he was ripped from a burning Tesla Cybertruck ... video, obtained by #TMZSports, shows.

FULL STORY HERE ➡️ https://t.co/GcT7NlkK9w pic.twitter.com/W1JoyjkbTj

— TMZ Sports (@TMZ_Sports) April 24, 2025

Saw this on my way to work, looks like the Cybertruck went up on the curb through a hydrant and straight into the big tree. This is my first time seeing a Cybertruck incident. pic.twitter.com/8bPFV2oLCM

— Corbin Williams (@corbinwilliams) April 24, 2025

MORE ON ARENAS

Arenas is a standout high school basketball player that was the first Los Angeles City Section player to reach 3,000 career points, and he did it in just three seasons. He's just the 15th player in California reach that milestone.

The senior guard reclassified from the class of 2026 to this year's 2025 class. Soon after that announcement, he committed to USC to play for Eric Musselman.

Arenas' prolific scoring ability and leadership led Chatsworth to a second straight CIF State final in Sacramento. He was selected to the 2025 McDonald's All-American game and named co-City Player of the Year.

He was also named High School On SI's SoCal Offensive Player of the Year.

Arenas averaged 30.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.1 steals per game this season en route to a City Section Open Division final, CIF State Division II regional title, and the CIF State Division II final.

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