Ernest Duck Jr., Tariq Salley killed after crashing their car into Pittsfield High School wall

Both occupants of a car that witnesses say sped through an intersection and flew through the air before crashing into a concrete wall outside Pittsfield High School have died, police said Wednesday.

No students or staff members were injured in the crash just before 3 p.m. Tuesday, about a half-hour after school got out. Had the crash occurred during dismissal, dozens of cars and hundreds of students would have been in the area, authorities said.

‘‘It’s a miracle no other kids or vehicles were involved,’’ Mayor Daniel Bianchi said.

The men in the car have been identified as Ernest Duck Jr., 37, and Tariq Salley, 34, both of Pittsfield. Duck, thought to be the driver, died shortly after the crash, while Salley died several hours later at the hospital, police said. The car was a rented 2013 Nissan Altima with Connecticut registration.

Exactly what happened remains under investigation, police said.

Police think the vehicle was traveling erratically and at a high rate of speed, based on multiple witness reports and findings from the initial investigation.

‘‘There didn’t appear to be any indication they tried to stop,’’ he said. The posted speed limit in the area is 25 mph.

The car broke apart on impact, and both men had to be extricated from the wreckage by firefighters.