Police say Timothy Seth Chavez ran a red light, hit the family SUV and fled before surrendering at the county jail.
FRESNO, Calif. — A 22-year-old Fresno man faces felony charges after police say he ran a red light early Monday, slammed into an SUV carrying a mother and her 9-year-old son, and sent the vehicle into a canal.
Martha Hernandez, 41, and her son Adrian Hernandez died after the crash near McKinley Avenue and Highway 41, a case that has shaken Fresno and nearby Clovis, where Hernandez worked as a nail artist known to many clients as Patty. Prosecutors filed a felony complaint this week accusing Timothy Seth Chavez of two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter and two counts of leaving the scene of a deadly crash. Police have said the investigation remains open, leaving unresolved questions about whether more charges could follow and what additional evidence detectives may recover.
Police and firefighters said the crash happened just before 2 a.m. on April 6 when a Honda Pilot ran a red light and hit the SUV Hernandez was driving home from an Easter gathering with family. The impact pushed her vehicle into the Dry Creek Canal. Fresno Fire Chief Billy Alcorn said crews pulled Hernandez from the car, began lifesaving efforts and took her to a hospital, where she later died. Only later did first responders learn that Adrian had also been inside. Alcorn said firefighters then returned to the canal, brought the vehicle out and “started a search of the entire canal system.” The effort stretched for hours, with crews using a drone and positioning responders along the waterway before finding the boy’s body miles downstream.
Investigators said witnesses quickly pointed them toward the other driver. Fresno Police Chief Mindy Casto said one witness reported that the man who got out of the other vehicle appeared to be intoxicated, though police have not publicly released toxicology evidence and have not said whether they were able to test Chavez after he left the scene. A nearby business owner told local television reporters that surveillance cameras at a car wash captured the collision and that the footage would be turned over to police. By about 9 p.m. Monday, police said, Chavez surrendered at the Fresno County Jail. Officers detained him there, interviewed him and later booked him on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, felony hit-and-run, driving on a suspended license and driving without insurance. Court records filed two days later narrowed the formal case to four felony counts tied directly to the two deaths.
The public grief around the case has centered as much on the family as on the crash itself. Hernandez worked at a salon in Old Town Clovis, where flowers, candles and handwritten notes filled her station during a vigil Tuesday night. Clients and co-workers described her as steady, warm and deeply focused on her children. One client remembered that “she loved her boys,” while another co-worker said Hernandez made people feel beautiful and heard. Adrian, a student at Tarpey Elementary, was remembered by teachers as bright and kind. One teacher recalled a classroom art project and said his dream was to “always be with his mom.” Clovis Unified said it would provide added emotional support for the school community. Family members also began raising money to cover funeral costs and to send the bodies to Mexico, where relatives are waiting for burial arrangements.
The felony complaint, filed April 8 in Fresno Superior Court, accuses Chavez of violating California’s red-light law and causing the deaths of Hernandez and a second victim listed in the document as John Doe, though the child has been publicly identified by relatives and local news outlets as Adrian Hernandez. Prosecutors also added allegations that Chavez personally inflicted great bodily injury and used a vehicle as a deadly weapon, which can affect how the case is treated if it moves forward. Chavez appeared in Fresno Superior Court on Wednesday as the complaint became public. It was not clear from court records reviewed in public reporting whether he entered a plea, and no defense attorney had been publicly identified by Friday. Legal analysts interviewed by local stations said the case could take months to develop and could still change if detectives gather more evidence about speed, impairment or the moments after the crash.
At the vigil, the loss came into view in small details. A blue teddy bear was handed to Hernandez’s older son, Michael, a high school senior now nearing graduation without his mother and younger brother beside him. Family members stood with him as people moved between the salon and the crash site, where a roadside memorial of flowers and candles continued to grow. Hernandez’s sister said her family was praying for justice and remembered her as devoted to God and to the people around her. Another co-worker, Kelsey Caldwell, said Chavez’s surrender was “the first right step,” but she and others made clear that it did little to ease the shock left by the crash. Casto put the public anger in blunt terms, calling it an “absolute tragedy” for a family that had simply been coming home from Easter Sunday.
As of Friday, Chavez remained accused in a four-count felony complaint connected to the deaths of Martha Hernandez and her son. Police have said the investigation is still active, and the next public step in the case is expected to come in Fresno Superior Court as prosecutors decide whether to add or amend charges.