CARLSBAD, Calif. – On Sept. 10, 2024, at 12:37 a.m., the City of Carlsbad Police Department responded to the 2200 block of Las Palmas Drive due to a traffic collision involving a vehicle and a pedestrian.
Upon arrival, officers found that a Volkswagen Jetta had collided into three cars and a pedestrian who had just exited their car. The pedestrian, a 23-year-old female from San Diego, sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Per a witness, the Volkswagen was traveling eastbound on Las Palmas Drive at a high rate of speed prior to the collision.
The driver of the Volkswagen, identified as 26-year-old Jose Manuel Zambrano Cruz from Carlsbad, fled the scene after the collision. He was later located in the 6600 block of El Camino Real and placed under arrest for the following charges: Felony Hit and Run, DUI Causing Injury or Death and Vehicular Manslaughter. Zambrano Cruz was booked into the Vista Detention Facility.
The identity of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. The cause of the collision remains under investigation, with alcohol suspected to be a contributing factor.
The Carlsbad Police Department is seeking additional witnesses to the incident. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Traffic Accident Investigator Corporal Matt Bowen.
For more information
Matt Bowen, Traffic Accident Investigator, 442-339-2282 or matt.bowen@carlsbadca.gov
