An 18-year-old Gilroy man is accused of fleeing the scene when a juvenile passenger was ejected from the suspect’s vehicle and died after an alleged DUI collision in south San Jose early Thursday morning.
About 3:46am June 6, San Jose Police responded to a report of a traffic collision with major injuries at Monterey Road and Palm Avenue, according to San Jose Police Sgt. Enrique Garcia.
The initial investigation found that a gold 1999 Toyota Camry was traveling north on Monterey Road, when the car drifted into the southbound lanes and continued north near Palm Avenue, according to police. The Camry struck a center median cement guardrail, lost control and ejected the juvenile passenger from the rear seat. The car then collided into a roadside guardrail.
A witness passing by stopped and contacted the occupants of the Camry to render aid, but the vehicle fled north in the southbound lanes, according to police.
The witness also saw a juvenile male lying in the roadway. The juvenile was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
About the same time, California Highway Patrol officers were responding to a call reporting a wrong-way driver on Monterey Road at Palm Avenue. CHP officers located the Camry and made a traffic stop at Monterey Road and Bailey Avenue—about 1.5 miles from the original collision scene, according to San Jose Police. Officers determined that alcohol and/or drugs were a factor in the collision.
The driver and passenger—both adult males—were detained, police said. The driver, Isael Velarde, 18, was arrested and booked at Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of felony hit and run, DUI causing injury, vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and driving without a license.
Velarde attended Christopher High School, according to his Facebook page.
