Police Hold Driver After Passenger Dies in Crash

A 23-year-old man was arrested early Friday on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter and drunk driving after officers found him “asleep at the wheel” of a crashed car with a dead man in the passenger seat, police said.

Hugo Alexander Bermudes of Costa Mesa was being held Friday at Costa Mesa City Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail, according to Costa Mesa Police Sgt. Les Gogerty. Police said Bermudes was the driver involved in a 1:40 a.m. crash that instantly killed Fidel Angel Serrano, 38, also of Costa Mesa.

Bermudes was allegedly exceeding the speed limit as he drove a Toyota Celica south on Meyer Place near Beach Street, Gogerty said. Bermudes allegedly swerved to avoid a parked truck, lost control of the Celica and slammed into another parked vehicle, killing Serrano, according to police.

Police arrived to find Bermudes sleeping and pinned inside the wrecked Celica, and firefighters used Jaws of Life equipment to free him, Gogerty said. Bermudes was briefly treated for minor injuries at Western Medical Center-Santa Ana and then booked at the city jail, police said.

The results of any blood-alcohol tests performed on the suspect were not available Friday, nor did police release any information on evidence that might have suggested Bermudes was driving under the influence.