Santa Rosa man, 68, charged with fifth DUI after deadly crash: police

SANTA ROSA, Calif. ( KRON ) — A woman died following a three-way Santa Rosa car crash on Friday afternoon. The Santa Rosa Police Department said the suspect, who allegedly ran a light, was charged with his fifth DUI after his involvement in the crash on Friday.

Santa Rosa police received calls of a “major” three-way crash between a Honda, a silver Dodge pickup truck, and a white Prius on the intersection of Lombardi Court and Sebastopol Road at about 1:30 p.m.

Responding officers arrived to find a woman trapped in her Honda. She was extracted by firefighters and was found unconscious. Police said she was taken to a hospital for life-threatening injuries and was soon after pronounced dead.

The woman was later identified as 31-year-old Santa Rosa resident Jessica Avila Munoz. Munoz was a juvenile corrections counselor at the County of Sonoma Juvenile Hall, according to law enforcement officials.

Officers also found a male driver in the Dodge pickup truck, who was found injured and was taken to the hospital by ambulance for treatment. Police then located the Prius driver, who “was not injured and remained on scene.”

SRPD said witness statements and video evidence show that the woman driving the Honda was turning left from Lombardi Court when the Dodge pickup “appeared to run the red light” before colliding with the Honda. “The Prius… was struck by the Honda after the initial collision,” SRPD said.

A collision investigator then learned from officers on the scene that the pickup truck driver “displayed signs of alcohol impairment,” leading the investigator to conduct a DUI investigation on the pickup driver at the hospital.

The investigator determined that the driver, identified as Nhan Van Nguyen, a 68-year-old resident of Santa Rosa, was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the collision. As the investigation continued, it was discovered that Nguyen had four prior arrests for DUI. He also had a suspended Drivers License.

The Santa Rosa Police Department said in part of a news release

Nguyen was released from the hospital “with no injuries.” Police said he was booked into the Sonoma County Jail for the following charges:

• Gross vehicular manslaughter
• Felony DUI causing great bodily injury

SRPD said roads were closed for about 6 hours during the investigation. Anyone with information on the fatal crash is asked to contact SRPD.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.