The incident was reported around 1:30 a.m. near Cherry and American avenues.
Fresno County, CA – The Fresno County Coroner’s Office identified the man who died in a suspected DUI crash early Sunday morning in Fresno County as 20-year-old Jose Reyes.
The incident was reported around 1:30 a.m. near Cherry and American avenues.
According to the California Highway Patrol, a rideshare driver with three passengers was traveling east on American Avenue, while Reyes was driving a Chevrolet sedan northbound on Cherry Avenue.
Police said the rideshare driver was going through the intersection when he was hit by Reyes, who sped through the intersection without stopping.
Reyes was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident. He was found unresponsive inside the car. Firefighters extricated the driver and attempted life-saving measures. However, Reyes was pronounced dead at the scene.
The rideshare driver and his passengers were taken to the hospital for treatment of complaints of pain.
CHP said impairment is suspected to be a contributing factor.
An investigation into the crash is ongoing.
Fresno County continues to be a high-risk area for traffic collisions, though recent data shows some improvement in fatal crash numbers. In 2023, Fresno County recorded 126 fatal collisions, a meaningful decline from a peak in the prior year (206 deaths in 2022), mirroring an 11% statewide decrease in traffic fatalities in California overall. Despite this year-over-year improvement, the county still experiences a high volume of incidents, averaging 7-8 police-reported crashes daily in the city of Fresno alone. Injury collisions vastly outnumber fatalities, and vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and motorcyclists, remain at elevated risk. A significant portion of crashes are attributed to specific contributing factors and locations. Alcohol and drug-impaired driving consistently rank as top contributing factors for both fatal and serious injury crashes. From 2018 to 2022, Fresno County ranked as the 15th highest county in the nation for fatal hit-and-run incidents. Major thoroughfares like Highway 99 and Highway 41, particularly un-widened or poorly lit sections, have been identified as particularly deadly due to old infrastructure, high speeds, and traffic volume.
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