Crime & Safety
RivCo Man Charged With Killing Passenger In DUI Crash On 60 Freeway
A 19-year-old man is accused of veering across all lanes on the freeway before striking a tree while under the influence.
RIVERSIDE, CA — A 19-year-old man accused of driving under the influence and killing his passenger in a fiery crash on the Pomona (60) Freeway in Jurupa Valley was charged Wednesday with murder.
Angel Baby Cruz of Riverside was arrested Saturday following a California Highway Patrol investigation into the deadly wreck.
Along with the murder count, Cruz is charged with committing a felony while on bond.
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The defendant, who is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Robert Presley Jail, was slated to make his initial court appearance Wednesday afternoon at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
According to the CHP, shortly before 5 a.m. Saturday, Cruz was at the wheel of a Mercedes 300 going westbound on the 60 when the sedan went out of control and slammed into the center divider wall between La Rue Street and Rubidoux Boulevard.
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"The vehicle then went across all lanes and struck a tree," Officer Javier Navarro said. "The vehicle became fully engulfed by fire."
Good Samaritans stopped and went to help Cruz and his front-seat passenger, a young man whose identity was not immediately released. Navarro said they managed to pull Cruz to safety but couldn't get to the victim, who was unconscious, before the Mercedes was consumed by the blaze.
"After the Riverside County Fire Department put out the flames, the body was located in the front seat," the CHP spokesman said. "He was confirmed deceased."
No one else had been in the car. No other vehicles were involved in the crash.
Cruz was transported to a hospital for treatment of unspecified minor injuries, at which point he was also determined to be intoxicated, Navarro alleged.
The defendant was formally taken into custody without incident. After a brief hospitalization, he was cleared for booking into the downtown jail over the weekend.
Cruz has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County. There were no details available concerning the circumstances of his prior arrest or how long he had been on bond.
—City News Service
