The suspect in a fatal DUI hit-and-run that killed a 22-year-old in New Mexico entered the U.S. illegally, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has confirmed.
ICE informed Fox News that 21-year-old Jesus Sandoval-Martinez was apprehended early Monday morning and charged with two counts of vehicular homicide, reckless driving, and leaving an accident resulting in great bodily harm or death, reports the Albuquerque Journal.
Authorities allege that Sandoval-Martinez was intoxicated when his Dodge pickup truck collided with a Tesla and a Toyota Corolla at an intersection in Albuquerque overnight on Monday.
Photo: ICE
After the deadly crash, the 21-year-old illegal immigrant allegedly fled on foot, with witnesses reporting that he appeared visibly impaired and was slurring his words.
Bystanders and witnesses pursued him to a Walgreens and detained him until officers arrived.
Law enforcement confirmed that the illegal immigrant ran a red light, resulting in the death of the Tesla driver, identified as 22-year-old Tiger Gutierrez. Authorities stated that Gutierrez died at the scene, and a passenger was hospitalized.
The driver of the Toyota sustained minor injuries and was treated accordingly, ICE reported.
Following Sandoval-Martinez’s arrest, ICE issued an immigration detainer against him after establishing probable cause for his removal from the U.S.
ICE mentioned that they had no prior encounters with Sandoval-Martinez before the fatal crash.
Fox News confirmed with a source that he is a Mexican national without a Social Security number and did not possess a valid driver’s license.
In June 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol processed approximately 84,000 illegal immigrants who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border without authorization.
Over 13,000 “criminal noncitizens” have attempted to enter the U.S. and were apprehended by Border Patrol agents in fiscal year 2024, an increase from 4,269 in FY 2019.
Crimes allegedly committed by illegal immigrants are on the rise.
These cases include the arrest of Victor Antonio Martinez Hernandez, a 23-year-old illegal El Salvadorian immigrant accused of raping and killing Maryland mother Rachel Morin.
Victor Martinez Hernandez is accused of raping and murdering mother of five Rachel Morin in Maryland on Aug. 5, 2023. (Tulsa Police Department/Facebook)
In another case, Venezuelan illegal immigrants Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel, 22, and Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, 26, are accused of killing 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston.
