Woman killed after DUI suspect's Mercedes plows through pedestrian path and ends up in the Santa Ana River
A pedestrian was killed when they were hit by a drunk driver who drove their Mercedes off the road and into the Santa Ana River in Anaheim on Tuesday evening.
It happened at a little after 6:30 p.m. near E. Wagner Avenue and S. Rio Vista Street, according to the Anaheim Police Department. They say that the driver, since identified as 33-year-old Raymundo Rangel lost control as he attempted to make a 90-degree turn.
Crews arrived at the scene to find a car that had landed in two feet of water in the Santa Ana River after veering off the road, police said.
Both Rangel and a passenger were able to exit the car under their own power, according to Anaheim Fire Department crews. Rangel was hospitalized after the crash but is expected to be arrested upon his release.
Police say that he will be booked on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter and felony DUI. The passenger, who remains unidentified, was booked for public intoxication.
Video from the scene shows that the car drove through a fence that runs along a pedestrian walkway near the riverbed.
While on scene, officers were approached by a man who said that his wife had gone for a walk in the area along the riverbed but never returned home. They dispatched a helicopter to search the area and found her body about an hour later.
On Wednesday, the woman was identified as 49-year-old Jessica Ferrino. Friends say that she worked as an instructional aide at nearby Rio Vista Elementary School.
"She was an amazing woman," said Norma Soto, who worked with Ferrino. "She's just the nicest lady. She loves the kids, the kids loved her. We're just distraught."
Investigators believe that the car was traveling over 40 miles per hour when the crash occurred.
Rangel has a criminal history that includes cruelty to animals, according to court records. He was arrested in September for an incident that happened in Fountain Valley.
He was charged with a list of felonies that included gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury, DUI with a blood-alcohol content of .08% or more causing injury and hit- and-run with permanent and serious injury. Additionally, he faces sentencing enhancements for fleeing the scene of a manslaughter and inflicting great bodily injury on the victim.
