A 15-year-old boy was arrested for driving a stolen car and causing a fatal hit-and-run crash in San Jose that killed a pregnant woman and her baby, the police said on Sunday.
The woman, identified as April Zoglauer, 28, was driving a Nissan sedan on Saturday afternoon when the boy ran a red light and hit her with a Hyundai sedan, according to the San Jose Police Department. The boy and another male fled the scene on foot, leaving behind the Hyundai, which had been reported stolen earlier that day.
Zoglauer was taken to a hospital, where she died from her injuries. Her baby was delivered by emergency C-section but also died the next day, the police said.
The boy was later found and arrested by the police. He was booked into juvenile hall for various crimes, including vehicular manslaughter, felony hit-and-run, possession of a stolen vehicle, and reckless driving causing injury. The other male is still at large and the police are asking for the public’s help to identify him.
“This is a tragic incident that has affected everyone involved, including family, friends, and our officers who responded to the scene,” San Jose Police Chief Anthony Mata said in a statement. “We will continue to investigate this case to bring all those responsible to justice.”
Zoglauer’s family and friends described her as an amazing person who was always happy and full of life. She was excited to be a mother and had everything ready for her son, whom she had named Liam.
“She was just an amazing person. She was always happy. She was always there for everybody. She was just so full of life,” Zoglauer’s cousin, Jessica Jimenez, told Yahoo News.
“She was so excited to be a mom. She had everything ready for him. She had his name picked out. She had his nursery done,” Zoglauer’s friend, Jennifer Gonzalez, told MSN.
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo expressed his condolences to Zoglauer’s family and called for stricter laws to prevent underage driving.
“It’s just heartbreaking to see someone so young lose their life in such a tragic way,” Liccardo said. “We need to do more to prevent these kinds of incidents from happening again. We need to have stronger laws and enforcement to keep unlicensed drivers off the road.”
San Jose Police Sergeant Christian Camarillo urged anyone who witnessed the crash or has information about it to contact the police.
“We are asking anyone who witnessed this incident or has information to please come forward and contact us,” Camarillo said. “We need your help to solve this case and bring closure to the family.”
Relevant articles:
– San Jose police arrest 15-year-old after hit-and-run kills pregnant mom, baby, Yahoo News, October 30, 2023
– 15-year-old arrested in San Jose hit-and-run crash that killed pregnant mother and her child, MSN, October 30, 2023
– Teen arrested in connection to San Jose hit-and-run that killed pregnant woman, baby, East Bay Times, October 30, 2023
– San Jose police arrest teen driver suspected in crash that killed pregnant woman, child, SFGate, October 30, 2023