West Allis fatal crash; Jason Zamora accused, blowing through red light
WEST ALLIS, Wis. - A 20-year-old West Allis man is now charged with second-degree reckless homicide in connection with a fatal crash at 60th and Burnham that happened Sunday, April 23. The accused is Jason Zamora.
Jason Zamora
According to the criminal complaint, Milwaukee police responded around 12:30 a.m. Sunday to the intersection of 60th and Burnham for a crash. Two vehicles were involved in the wreck -- a car and SUV. When officers arrived, the defendant, Zamora, was in the driver's seat of the car, unconscious, apparently from the crash. An officer also reported "smelling the odor of an alcoholic beverage on the breath of the defendant and the partially full 12 oz. can of Modelo beer resting on the center console near the gear shifter," the complaint says.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
The complaint says a woman in the passenger seat of the car, later identified as 18-year-old Maryxa Zepeda, was declared deceased on the scene.
A memorial for Zepeda is growing at the scene.
Maryxa Zepeda (Courtesy: GoFundme)
"I can't get over that because she should not be dead today. There shouldn’t be a funeral for her. She is too young," said Markus Gorsic, bar owner. ""It should not happen. It’s not an accident. It's not an accident."
Investigators recovered surveillance video from a business near the intersection. The complaint says it "showed that the defendant's gray Pontiac was traveling eastbound on West Burnham Street at a high rate of speed, approaching a traffic light which was solid red for approximately 3 minutes and 18 seconds prior to and including when the Pontiac entered the intersection against the light." The also shows the SUV was headed south on 60th Street with the green light when it was struck by the defendant's vehicle. The complaint says "upon impact, the Jeep went airborne, was spun 180 degrees, and that both vehicles then struck 2 pedestrians on the sidewalk in front of the business."
Collision at 60th and Burnham, West Allis (Sunday, April 23)
Collision at 60th and Burnham, West Allis (Sunday, April 23)
The driver of the SUV was "confused and complaining of pain." The complaint says she was taken to a hospital for treatment -- and later informed she suffered a concussion.
Investigators conducted an analysis based on the surveillance video and determined the defendant's car "was traveling between 51 and 57 mph as it approached the crash," the complaint says. The posted speed limit on that street is 30 mph.
Crash on 60th and Burnham
"I hope they show everybody that do stuff like that, they have to be responsible they have to be charged," Gorsic said.
Gorsic hopes to put together a fundraiser to help the victims with their hospital bills – and to help the family of Zepeda. A GoFundMe has already been established.
Online court records indicate Zamora made his initial appearance in Milwaukee County court on Friday, April 28. Cash bond was set at $40,000.