Man Questioned in Car Crash That Killed 5

The man authorities believe is responsible for triggering a collision that killed five people surrendered Sunday.

The unidentified driver was being questioned by California Highway Patrol officers who could not say whether he would be charged.

The man, who was driving a black 1990 Ford Escort on a winding San Bernardino County mountain road, tried to pass two cars, CHP Officer Jerry Hill told United Press International.

“The Ford Escort didn’t actually hit anyone, but it did cause the two cars to slam into each other,” Hill said.

The driver of the Escort did not stop after the accident, the CHP said. He contacted authorities after the CHP released a bulletin describing his car.

The accident, in which five people were injured and four cars were damaged, occurred at 2:45 p.m. Saturday on California 138, a two-lane road that leads to several ski areas in the San Bernardino Mountains.

The dead were identified as Joe Abeyta, 61; his wife, Dora Mae, 59; their son, Joe Jr., 36, and grandson, Joe III, 15, all of San Gabriel. Jesus Torres, 22, of Fontana, who was driving another car, also was killed, authorities said.

“My brother was looking to buy a house and was taking mom and dad up there to see it,” Chris Abeyta said Sunday. Joe Jr. is survived by a wife and a young son.

The CHP said the Escort sped past Torres’ car, causing Torres to lose control of the vehicle and slide across the roadway head-on into the car driven by Abeyta. The force of the collision sent Abeyta’s car over the side of the road, the CHP said.