In the early hours of Saturday morning in Denton, a tragic incident unfolded as an intoxicated driver, identified as 18-year-old Jonathan Vargas, caused a fatal crash, resulting in one death and two injuries.
Vargas has been arrested and is now facing charges of intoxication manslaughter and evading arrest, as confirmed by Denton police.
The sequence of events began when police observed a Dodge Charger on Interstate 35E around 3:15 a.m., driving without headlights and exhibiting erratic behavior.
Attempting a traffic stop, an officer intervened, but the Charger accelerated to speeds exceeding 100 mph.
Tragically, it collided with the back of a sedan, causing the sedan to be pushed off the highway and onto the service road near Wind River Lane.
The impact also led to the Charger flipping over.
Regrettably, the rear passenger of the sedan, identified as 47-year-old Douglas Alfredo Gonzalez Cerna by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office, was pronounced dead at a hospital.
The sedan’s driver and another passenger, who were also injured, have since been released from the hospital, according to the police.
As the investigation unfolds, southbound lanes of the interstate in the affected area will remain closed.
The tragic incident underscores the severe consequences of impaired driving and the devastating impact it can have on innocent lives.
