The Brief
Two people are dead, and five others were injured in a crash in Santa Ana.
Officials said the crash happened after a wrong-way driver hit multiple cars head-on.
Witnesses and investigators said the wrong-way driver, identified as a 29-year-old man, was speeding.
SANTA ANA, Calif. – Southern California authorities said two people were killed, and five others were injured following a horrific wrong-way wreck in Santa Ana.
What we know:
Investigators said the crash happened near the 2200 block of North Main Street in the city’s downtown area during the evening rush hour.
Surveillance footage showed the moment of impact, showing a gray BMW flying down Main Street before smashing head-on into another vehicle just north of Warner Avenue.
The suspect has since been identified by authorities as 29-year-old Jorge Andreas Delgado, a Santa Ana resident.
The wrong-way crash occurred just after 6:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 4. Investigators with the Santa Ana Police Department allege Delgado was speeding northbound in the southbound lanes before triggering the crash involving three other cars, turning a busy commute into a deadly scene.
Delgado and 32-year-old Leticia Placencia Alvarado, an innocent driver, were pronounced dead at the scene and five others – ages 39, 19, 18, 11, and 1 – were rushed to the hospital in stable condition.
The five injured are expected to survive their injuries sustained in the crash.
What they’re saying:
A witness said the wrong-way driver was speeding before the fiery crash.
“This car was going probably twice the speed [limit], maybe like 80 miles an hour,” witness Daniel Kitz recalled. “And I pulled over and ran over to the car and I asked someone to grab a fire extinguisher and put a fire out.”
What we don’t know:
The names of the surviving victims have not been released.
Investigators with the Santa Ana police department say it could take weeks or months before the medical examiner provides toxicology reports to determine if the driver may have been under the influence at the time of the crash.
The Source: This report used information provided by the Santa Ana Police Department, a witness, and FOX 11’s crew at the scene.
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