Stanislaus crash 7 months ago left 2 passengers dead, driver gone. Suspect now behind bars
The suspected driver in a February crash west of Modesto that killed two passengers has been arrested and faces vehicular manslaughter charges, the California Highway Patrol reported.
Hugo Mendoza was taken into custody Saturday evening after San Jose police officers made contact with him. “A persons check revealed he had an outstanding warrant from the CHP Modesto,” CHP Officer Tom Olsen told The Bee by text message Sunday morning.
Mendoza was arrested and booked into the Santa Clara County Jail, said Olsen, spokesman for the Modesto area CHP office. Modesto officers drove to San Jose, took custody of Mendoza, brought him to Modesto and booked him into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center.
The San Jose resident is being held on two counts of felony vehicular manslaughter and felony hit-and-run, Olsen said, and bail is $500,000.
The single-vehicle crash was early Sunday, Feb. 6, on Highway 132 just east of the San Joaquin River.
Responding officers found two men in the pickup who later were identified as Jovany Serrano Caballero, 23, of Hayward and Saul Garcia, 36, of San Jose. Both men were passengers in the westbound 2011 GMC and were not wearing their seat belts when it went off the road and hit several trees.
The two men were pronounced dead at the scene. The driver was not found during a search by CHP officers and Stanislaus County sheriff’s deputies.
In a detail on the online CHP Traffic Incident Information Page at the time, the passing motorist who reported the crash said a man estimated to be in his 20s and wearing a dark hoodie and jeans got out of the pickup and ran.
It’s possible the driver later got a ride with another passing motorist, said a CHP news release at the time.
“The CHP is glad to announce the arrest of Hugo Mendoza,” Olsen told The Bee. “Although this does not bring closure to the affected family members, it does begin the process to explain what exactly happened that tragic night.
“The CHP would like to thank the San Jose Police Department for their assistance in safely taking Mendoza into custody.”
This story was originally published September 18, 2022 at 1:06 PM.
