The teenage driver of a Mustang was arrested and another is being sought by authorities after being seen on surveillance video in a suspected street racing crash that left a beloved husband and father dead, officials said Thursday.
Witnesses saw two black Ford Mustangs racing on Rochester Avenue from Arrow Route in Rancho Cucamonga on Wednesday afternoon, according to the Rancho Cucamonga Police Department.
Surveillance video given to NBC4 by H and A Transmission Inc. captured the two black cars speeding through the intersection in broad daylight.
Seconds later, a silver Nissan Altima starts to make a left turn, and a black Mustangs can be seen speeding in the other direction. One of the two Mustangs slams into the Altima, and the cars blow down the street, up a curb and onto the sidewalk, narrowly missing a pole. The second black Mustang zooms by.
The driver of the Nissan died after the crash, officials said. He was identified by authorities as 46-year-old Julio Lopez, of Pomona.
"We're heartbroken. I couldn't believe when my brother texted me last night. He's such a good guy," Lopez's cousin Oscar Rivera said. "It's so unfortunate to happen to a guy like that."
"His biggest thing was family," Rivera said.
Lopez had two children, including a teenage girl and a 12-year-old son, and a wife of 22 years. He was out running an errand to cellphone store when his car was struck.
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"It makes me very angry," wife Laura Lopez said. When the hospital first called to tell her she'd lost her husband, she thought it was a prank.
"I still can't believe he's gone," Laura Lopez said.
His family said Lopez had complained to the city about getting a traffic light at the intersection.
The driver of the Mustang that crashed was a 16-year-old boy, who stopped after the crash, officials said, adding that no one in his car was hurt. The 16-year-old was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter Thursday afternoon, authorities said.
Now, deputies are searching for the driver of the second black Ford Mustang. The car is described as a 2000 to 2003 model with a hood scoop.
Anyone who witnessed the car or has information on the driver or the car is urged to contact the Rancho Cucamonga Police Department.
