SAFETY STEPS FEW AT PARTY; TWO RANGERS OVERSAW 7,000 TEENS.

Byline: Lisa Van Proyen and Harrison Sheppard Staff Writers

Following the fatal crash of five teen-agers after an all-night ``rave'' party in Angeles National Forest over the weekend, a Daily News review Monday found little oversight to determine whether the event was safe.

Two U.S. Forest Service rangers were assigned to monitor the all-night party that drew at least 5,000 teen-agers to Snowcrest ski resort, but they did not enter to check whether terms of the permit were being met, officials said.

Instead, the rangers were busy directing traffic in the hours before four females and a male left in a car and drove off Angeles Crest Highway, falling some 1,200 feet to their deaths about 7:30 a.m. Sunday.

Despite reports of drug overdoses at the all-night party or outside the gates, neither the Forest Service rangers nor Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies visited the rave, officials said.

``We were not inside the venue. That's the responsibility of the people who Snowcrest hired,'' said Gail Wright, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service. ``My understanding is that the security people were working inside. When they did come across somebody with drugs or alcohol, they were taken out.''

Several parents of the teen-agers who died in the crash said they had given their children permission to attend the rave.

``She did like to go to those parties,'' said Cathy Feldhaus, the mother of Leah Feldhaus, 15. ``She loved to dance. She was definitely drug-free. She would have called if she was running late.''

Los Angeles County Coroner's officials identified those killed as: Carissa Castaneda, 18, of San Bernardino, a 1999 Colton High School graduate; Nicole Marie Martell, 17, of Highland, a senior at Aquinas High School; Leah Feldhaus of Colton, a junior at Colton High School; and Colton High School seniors Sharon Patricia Bjornstad and Matthew Paul Lopez, both 18 and from Grand Terrace.

The California Highway Patrol is investigating the cause of the crash, and the Coroner's Office is trying to determine whether alcohol or drugs played a role. Drug and alcohol tests take about four to six weeks to complete.

The CHP has been unable to identify who was driving the car, which is registered to Bjornstad's parents. All the people were thrown out except Bjornstad, a CHP report stated.

Witnesses told police the green sedan had not been swerving or speeding and that the driver simply made a U-turn and began pulling off on a dirt turn-out.

``The driver was driving fine. No erratic movements,'' said California Highway Patrol spokesman Lou Aviles.

``They negotiated a turn and drove off to a dirt shoulder. They just didn't stop. They drove right off the cliff. It leaves us with a lot of questions,'' Aviles said.

Re-evaluating raves

On Monday, forestry, CHP, sheriff's officials, Snowcrest officials and the rave promoter met to assess what went right and wrong with the weekend event.

``We won't be having mass music events for thousands of individuals until we re-evaluate a method to ensure public safety,'' said Susan Swinson, a deputy forest supervisor.

The operators of Snowcrest ski resort, Jackie and John Steely, received the permit to hold the concert, produced by B3/Cande Promotions in Huntington Beach, Wright said.

The promoters and Snowcrest officials could not be reached for comment.

Snowcrest was required to provide a $1 million bond to allow the promoter to use the forest land, Wright said, adding that forest officials have not yet evaluated what, if any, damage was done to the forest.

The ski resort hired 70 guards from Olympic Personnel Security in Bellflower, Wright said. Additionally, there were a few EMT-trained ski patrol people at the site. Inside the event, EMTs treated 14 people for asthma problems and minor injuries, Wright said.

xOverdoses reported

Signs of trouble at the rave surfaced by at least 1:30 a.m. Sunday.

According to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, there were three reported drug overdoses, the first about 1:30 a.m., when a person took in both acid and the hallucinogen Ecstasy.

About 5:30 a.m., two more people were treated - one for also overdosing on acid and Ecstasy and the other for an asthma attack, said fire Capt. Mike Ponder.

Wright said the overdoses occurred outside the rave, but firefighters said the victims were clearly transported from the event.

Although a maximum of only 5,000 were allowed to attend the event, at least 2,000 more somehow slipped inside, fire and sheriff's officials said.

Firefighters said they routinely report the overdoses to the Sheriff's Department.

But deputies at the Crescenta Valley station said they did not receive any calls regarding drug overdoses. ``Sometimes we know about it, and sometimes we don't,'' said Capt. Garry Leonard.

The Sheriff's Department got the crash call about 7:30 a.m.

``Our involvement in this whole thing was none until the rescue call,'' said Deputy Bob Killeen, a spokesman for the Sheriff's Department.

In regards to the rave party, Killeen said it was up to forest officials and those they permit inside as contractors to enforce the laws.

``It's their forest,'' he said. ``(Security) should have been part of their plan.''

Deputies at the Crescenta Valley station knew about the rave party a week in advance, but officials there said they saw no need to patrol the party.

``There was no indication that there was a need,'' Leonard said.

Plus, Leonard said, the two deputies who patrol the vast Angeles National Forest in a 4-by-4 truck were tied up on other calls in the hundreds of miles of mountain roads they cover.

``They were too busy elsewhere,'' Leonard said.

Lawmakers cite concern

A spokesman for Rep. Howard ``Buck'' McKeon, whose district includes the forest, said

xthey would look into the incident and whether it is proper for land in a federal forest to be used in this way.

``Certainly Congressman McKeon doesn't think it's a good idea to allow parties on federal property if they know illegal drug use is going to be happening, especially by teen-agers,'' said spokesman David Foy. ``But we don't know enough about this to talk about this specific case.''

An aide to Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, said the deputies in that area are receiving more resources to help patrol the region.

Altadena currently has a sheriff's substation, which is staffed only during the daytime, but it will soon be upgraded to a full, 24-hour station with a larger staff, said Antonovich aide Jean Huston.

``I think we always need more deputy sheriffs out on the streets,'' she said. ``You'll never have too many. But this will make it less problematic.''

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo: (1 -- color) A cross marks the spot off Angeles Crest Highway where teens plunged into a ravine.

(2) Otto Fuentes picks up trash at the Snowcrest ski area on Monday after Saturday night's rave party.

Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer