Burke Man Charged In Crash That Killed Teen, Injured 3 Others: Police

BURKE, VA — A Burke man was arrested in connection with a July 18 crash on Burke Centre Parkway that killed a teenage girl and left three other teens hospitalized, the Fairfax County Police Department said Tuesday.

Jose Angel Zelaya, 42, faces involuntary manslaughter charges related to the crash, police said.

Detectives from the FCPD’s Crash Reconstruction Unit determined Zelaya was traveling nearly double the 40-mph speed limit “moments prior to the crash,” police said. The detectives obtained a warrant for his arrest on Monday.

Rebekah Zarco, 17, was killed in the crash, as she was trying to turn left from the Burke Centre Shopping Center onto Burke Centre Parkway. Rebekah's brother was in the car and is one of the three teens that remains hospitalized.

The crash happened around 9 p.m. on July 18 in the 5700 block of Burke Centre Parkway. Fairfax County police determined Zelaya, the driver of a 2014 Cadillac XTS4, was traveling westbound on Burke Centre Parkway.

The Cadillac struck a 2023 Kia Forte, driven by Rebekah, who had just graduated from Robinson Secondary School and was planning to attend George Mason University in the fall.

Some neighbors launched an online petition to get Fairfax County to add a traffic light to Burke Centre Parkway, where the fatal crash occurred.

Zelaya is being held on no bond at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center, according to police.

RELATED: Petition Launched To Add Traffic Light At Fatal Crash Site In Burke