Investigations revealed that Jake Brian Bowen, 22, of Queen Creek, was driving the wrong way on US 60 when he collided with a vehicle driven by Abu Sayed Bin Abuya, 38, of Phoenix
Tempe, AZ – Authorities have identified the two drivers who were killed in a wrong-way collision in Tempe early Thursday morning.
The accident took place on US 60 near the transition ramp to Broadway Road at about 1:30 a.m. February 15, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
Investigations revealed that Jake Brian Bowen, 22, of Queen Creek, was driving the wrong way on US 60 when he collided with a vehicle driven by Abu Sayed Bin Abuya, 38, of Phoenix. Authorities are still trying to figure out why Bowen was traveling the wrong way.
The AZDPS and firefighters responded to the scene shortly after and attended to the involved parties.
Bowen was declared deceased at the scene while Abuya was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced deceased shortly after.
It’s unclear whether speed or impairment were factors in the crash and no further details have been released at this time. The cause of the collision remained under investigation.
In 2023, Tempe experienced a notable increase in total traffic collisions, with 7,299 accidents reported, up from 6,585 in 2022. This continued an upward trend in crash numbers since 2020, though the total remained below the pre-pandemic peak of 8,899 crashes in 2019. The total number of fatalities in Tempe climbed significantly in 2023, reaching 30 deaths compared to 20 the previous year. Injuries also rose slightly to 3,199 in 2023. Drunken driving incidents in 2023 saw 319 crashes, almost identical to the 318 in 2022, but the number of associated fatalities dramatically increased six-fold, from two in 2022 to 12 in 2023.
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