2 Die, Driver Held in Fatal Freeway Crash

A La Crescenta woman was arrested on suspicion of murder and driving under the influence of alcohol after she rear-ended a car on the Glendale Freeway, killing two passengers, authorities said Thursday.

Na Hyun Kwak, 26, struck a car headed north on the Glendale Freeway near Mountain Street about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, said California Highway Patrol Officer Becky Lynch.

The car, which had slowed down in a middle lane, burst into flames on impact and sideswiped a third car, causing minor damage.

Other motorists were able to free the car’s driver and front passenger, but they could not rescue the two passengers in the rear seat, Lynch said.

She said the victims were a 15-year-old Burbank boy and a 35-year-old Tujunga man. Their families have been notified, but a spokesman for the coroner’s office said the names would not be released until identification was confirmed with dental records.

CHP spokesman Frank Sansone said he was unsure why the car had slowed down, and said it was not known whether the passengers were killed on impact or in the fire.

Kwak suffered minor injuries. She called her husband, Kyu Hun Kwak, who went to the scene. He was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after he nearly ran over a patrol officer, Lynch said.

Na Hyun Kwak remained in custody in Glendale on Thursday in lieu of $1 million bail. Her blood-alcohol level was measured at 0.18%, Glendale police said. The legal limit is 0.08%.

The car’s surviving passenger, a 68-year-old Tujunga man, suffered fractured ribs and was in fair condition at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena on Thursday, a hospital spokeswoman said.