Passenger Killed, Driver Hurt in Crash
A speeding Mustang hit a car and a pickup truck Friday in Northridge, then slammed into a utility pole, killing a passenger, police said.
The car’s driver, Joseph Yokofich, 21, of Canyon Country, was hospitalized with serious injuries and arrested on suspicion of felony manslaughter, Los Angeles Police Officer Ralph Kemptner said.
Yokofich’s Mustang was heading east on Roscoe Boulevard about 4 p.m. when it ran a red light and collided with another car that was driving west on Roscoe and was about to make a left turn onto Louise Avenue, Officer Charles Wright said. Witnesses told police the Mustang was going about 75 m.p.h. at the time of the collision, Kemptner said.
The Mustang then collided with a pickup truck about to make a right turn onto Roscoe from northbound Louise, Wright said.
The Mustang then hit a light pole, hurling out a passenger who was pronounced dead at the scene, he said. Police did not release the passenger’s name.
Yokofich was taken to Northridge Hospital Medical Center, where he was listed in serious to critical condition, nursing supervisor Elsie Chase said.
The drivers of the other vehicles sustained minor cuts and bruises and were treated at the scene, Wright said.
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