A wrong-way crash that took the lives of two Utah teens has led to the arrest of the 21-year-old driver, police say caused the tragedy. The details emerging from the early morning collision in Salt Lake City are painful, and the suspect’s own words have only deepened the outrage and heartbreak surrounding the case.
According to the Utah Highway Patrol, Jose Angel Torres Jimenez was taken into custody on multiple felony charges after investigators determined he was driving under the influence and headed the wrong direction on I-15. The charges include two counts of automobile homicide, which are second-degree felonies, along with driving under the influence, wrong way on a highway, and a violation of his learner’s permit.
The crash happened around 1:50 a.m. on November 29, when dispatchers received reports of a driver entering the freeway at 600 South going the wrong way. Instead of heading northbound like the signs directed, Jimenez turned onto the southbound lanes of I-15 and began driving directly into oncoming traffic.
Within moments, he collided head-on with another vehicle traveling northbound. Inside that car were two teenagers described by authorities as a young couple from Utah. Both were pronounced dead at the scene. First responders said the impact was so severe that there was no chance of saving them.
When the first trooper arrived, he walked up to Jimenez’s vehicle and opened the driver’s side door. Court documents say the trooper “immediately detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage” coming from Jimenez, reported KUTV. He also noted that Jimenez had “glassy bloodshot eyes, very relaxed facial features,” and slurred speech. The trooper later wrote that Jimenez stumbled as he tried to get out of the vehicle.
Jimenez reportedly admitted that he had been drinking that night. During the field sobriety test, the trooper observed what he called a large number of clues indicating impairment. At one point in the affidavit, the trooper wrote that he asked Jimenez if he felt safe driving. Jimenez responded, “No.”
A records check revealed that Jimenez only had a learner’s permit, which requires another licensed adult in the vehicle and does not allow solo driving, especially not late at night or while impaired. Investigators have not said where he had been before the crash or how much he had consumed, but the evidence laid out so far paints a grim picture of reckless decisions with irreversible consequences.
Jimenez was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on all listed charges and is being held while the investigation continues. Police have not yet released the names of the teen victims as family members are still grieving and processing the sudden loss.
The community has been shaken by the deaths, especially given the ages of those involved. A wrong-way crash at nearly two in the morning, a suspected drunk driver, and two young lives cut short have sparked anger and sadness across the state. Authorities say no further information is available at this time, but more details are expected as the case moves forward.
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