A suspected DUI hit-and-run driver is in custody, accused of causing a crash that claimed the life of a young woman on Friday morning.
The suspect, a bearded man who was only identified as a 26-year-old, was arrested less than two miles from the scene.
The incident began to unfold Friday morning on westbound state Route 94 near the College Avenue Way off-ramp when he allegedly hit several cars, including a gray Nissan sedan driven by Leslie Nunez Rosas, 25, a resident of El Cajon. The impact pushed Rosas off the freeway and down a 30-foot embankment, ejecting Rosas from the car and striking a white Mazda SUV.
Other San Diego Top Stories
Get San Diego local news, weather forecasts, sports and lifestyle stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC San Diego newsletters.
Rosas died at the scene, according to the office of the San Diego County Medical Examiner. A child's booster seat and an infant car seat could be seen through the vehicle's shattered windows after the crash. The ME's office said Rosas was the sole occupant of the vehicle at the time of the crash, however.
The man suspected of driving the Chrysler, though, allegedly got off the freeway, where he hit three additional vehicles, including a white Ford Mustang convertible, a silver BMW and a black Honda Civic, tearing one of the rear wheels off that car.
Police tracked down the suspect in a residential area near the Kelton Road exit. He was wearing a white Dixieline Lumber and Home Centers T-shirt that said "Install Crew” on the back. A manager at the La Mesa location told NBC 7 over the phone that Dixieline often works with subcontractors for installation work.
A representative for the company said the suspect does not work for nor has been employed by Dixieline Lumber and Home Centers.
On Monday, someone had set up a small memorial at the offramp, with while lilies and roses, and 12 white candles setting a somber tableau.
The California Highway Patrol said alcohol was determined to be a factor in the crash.
NBC 7 has a call into the California Highway Patrol, requesting the suspect's name and arraignment date.
