DUI Suspected In Deadly Temecula I-15, City Hall Wreck: CHP

UPDATE: Victim Identified In Deadly Temecula Freeway Wreck

TEMECULA, CA — One person is dead and another is in law enforcement custody on suspicion of driving under the influence following a crash off Interstate 15 into the Old Town Temecula area, fire and CHP officials report. The wreck happened on the southbound side of the freeway, near Rancho California Road, just before 7:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Video footage of the incident showed a pickup truck driver speeding through the morning traffic on the freeway before then slamming — full-speed — into one car, and then hitting additional vehicles in a chain-reaction crash before coming to a rest in the center median.

"There is one confirmed fatality as well as two patients with serious injuries and two patients with minor injuries," the Riverside County Fire Department said. The CHP said another person was not hurt and drove away from the scene.

The woman in the first car that was hit died at the scene, officials said. She was in a Nissan sedan that was barely recognizable following the impact of the crash.

Preliminary California Highway Patrol reports indicate a Chevy S-10 pickup traveled across all the lanes of southbound traffic on the 15, before then going off the roadway and slamming into the parking structure connected to Temecula City Hall.

CHP Office Mike Lassig says three other vehicles were involved in the crash: a 2015 Chevy Tahoe, a 2017 Tesla Model S and a 2017 Toyota Camry.

The motorist in the Chevy Silverado pickup truck has since been taken into custody in connection to causing the crash, Lassig said. He's been identified as 25-year-old Javier Caldera of Auburn, Washington.

"The investigating officer has placed what appears to be the driver at fault under arrest on suspicion of DUI," he told Patch.

Jail records indicated Caldera was booked into the French Valley jail in lieu of $1 million bail. He was booked on suspicion of several charges, including murder, DUI, driving without a proper license and gross vehicular manslaughter.

Interstate 15 was completely just down south of Rancho California for a time, but as of 11:30 a.m., all lanes were back open. However, traffic reports indicated there was still a major slowdown in the area for several hours.

"Leave early and use alternate routes," the city of Temecula suggested via a Facebook post. "Side streets are also heavily congested."