Jordan Isaac: California man charged for killing 3 family members in DUI crash on New Year's Eve
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: A man faces charges related to an alleged drunk driving incident that occurred on New Year's Eve, resulting in the deaths of a couple and their 5-year-old daughter, as well as the critical condition of the couple's 1-year-old daughter.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced that Jordan Kahari Isaac, 22, was charged with three counts of murder, three counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.
He was also charged with one count of driving while intoxicated and causing injury, and one count of hit-and-run resulting in the injury of another person.
3 family members died and 1 left critically injured
Jose Manuel Pasgagasa, 49, Luisa Arenas, 26, and Mia Pasgagasa, 5 were killed in the crash, which put 1-year-old Hanna Pasgagasa into a Los Angeles pediatric intensive care unit.
According to reports, Isaac had previously struck and killed someone in another hit-and-run. He then allegedly ran a stop sign, fled, and collided with the family's car while exceeding 60 mph in a 25 mph zone.
Jose was killed instantly in the collision, and Luisa and Mia later succumbed to their injuries. According to KTLA's report last week, the family relocated from Colombia to Los Angeles approximately a year ago.
Following the collision, authorities said that Kahari was taken to a hospital where he received treatment for serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Immediately, no court date was available, as per the District Attorney's Office.
Collision 'was so violent': Detective
LAPD Detective Ryan Moreno informed the reporters that the collision "was so violent" that the family's car flew through a fence and a street sign before coming to rest outside a nearby business.
Some witnesses to the collision said it sounded like a "explosion," the detective said, adding that a number of benevolent individuals rushed to the scene and "tried to do what they could."
Angie Dayana Pascagaza's GoFundMe page states that Hanna is "recovering satisfactorily from this tragic accident." On the page, Angie Pascagaza stated her goal to gather funds in order to return her sister's and parents' bodies to Colombia "to give them a Christian burial with the whole family."
According to what she wrote, the family left Colombia in November 2022 "looking for a better future for themselves and the girls since the situation in the country was not very good."
Over $16,700 has been raised through the GoFundMe page. A memorial to the family was assembled last week by friends and neighbors close to the 60th Place and Normandie Avenue intersection. The memorial included pictures, flowers, and candles.
