3 people, including 2 teens, suffer major injuries in crash on Highway 99 after CHP pursuit

Three people, including two teenage boys, were sent to the hospital with major injuries caused when their SUV crashed during a pursuit on Highway 99 early Tuesday, according to the California Highway Patrol.

About 3:30 a.m., a CHP officer saw a black Jeep SUV going “at a high rate of speed” near the Fifth Street off-ramp in Ceres and attempted to overtake the vehicle, according to a news release.

The officer got ahead of the Jeep and activated lights and siren. The SUV driver responded by taking the Hatch Road exit and then reentering southbound Highway 99.

The pursuit lasted until the Jeep driver, a 17-year-old Modesto resident, exited toward Mitchell Road almost four miles south and crashed into a light post at the bottom of the off-ramp, according to the incident summary.

The Jeep caught fire immediately. Officers were able to remove all three occupants before it was engulfed in flames. The driver needed his seat belt cut before he could be pulled out.

The passengers, a 16-year-old from San Lorenzo and a 20-year-old from Hayward, suffered major injuries and were taken to a local hospital.

All occupants of the Jeep were wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash, according to the CHP. The Mitchell Road off-ramp on Highway 99’s southbound side was closed during the investigation.

The 17-year-old driver of the Jeep was arrested on suspicion of vehicle theft, fleeing law enforcement and fleeing law enforcement while causing injuries. He was booked into the Stanislaus County Juvenile Hall on Tuesday.