Driver of reportedly stolen car dies after pursuit ends in Sacramento County crash

Rosalio Ahumada
·2 min read
7

A man driving a reportedly stolen car died after refusing to pull over for a traffic stop Monday evening in Amador County and crashing with another vehicle several miles west in Sacramento County, the California Highway Patrol reported.

Shortly before 8 p.m. Monday, an officer with the CHP Amador office spotted a red Hyundai speeding in Amador County, said Officer Trent Senter, a spokesman for the CHP East Sacramento office, which is investigating the deadly crash.

Senter said a man was driving the red Hyundai, which was later determined to be stolen, with a woman in the car as a passenger.

A CHP officer tried to conduct a traffic on the speeding vehicle, but the driver in the red Hyundai refused to pull over and a pursuit ensued, Senter said.

The Hyundai first headed east on Highway 88 and then north on Highway 49, before the fleeing car headed west on Highway 16 — also known as Jackson Road — toward Rancho Murieta.

Senter said there was a woman driving a Rivian sport utility vehicle southbound on Murieta Parkway and approaching the intersection with Jackson Road. The Rivian SUV driver had a man and another woman as passengers in the vehicle.

The Hyundai and Rivian SUV collided at the intersection. Senter said it appeared the front end of the Hyundai struck the driver’s side of Rivian SUV.

The Hyundai veered off the road and caught on fire, Senter said, and a CHP Amador officer pulled the driver and the passenger from the burning car.

The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District responded to the fiery crash and treated the injured vehicle occupants before they were taken to hospitals.

A red Hyundai that was reported stolen and fleeing in a California Highway Patrol pursuit Monday evening, July 29, 2024, crashed with a Rivian SUV at the intersection of Murieta Parkway and Jackson Road in Rancho Murieta.
A red Hyundai that was reported stolen and fleeing in a California Highway Patrol pursuit Monday evening, July 29, 2024, crashed with a Rivian SUV at the intersection of Murieta Parkway and Jackson Road in Rancho Murieta.

The Hyundai’s driver and passenger suffered major injuries in the crash and were taken to a hospital. On Tuesday morning, Senter said the Hyundai’s driver died from his injuries, and the passenger was still receiving treatment at the hospital.

The Sacramento County Coroner’s Office was expected to release the Hyundai’s driver’s name after his family had been notified.

The CHP spokesman said the three people in the Rivian SUV also were hospitalized; they reportedly suffered moderate injuries in the crash.