Harlingen police arrest 21-year-old after deadly crash caught on camera : News : ValleyCentral.com
A Harlingen woman was charged in the fatal crash caught on a dashboard camera, the Harlingen Police Department announced during a news conference on Wednesday.
Keila Nunez-Ortiz , 21, was arrested and charged with manslaughter in the death of a 40-year-old Harlingen woman.
A ‘dash cam’ video released by Advanced Pest Control showed a Nissan 370Z accelerating past vehicles on Harrison Avenue before crashing into another motorist.
Sylvia Mena, 40, was pronounced dead at a hospital in May following the collision on the 2000 block of East Harrison Avenue.
Nunez-Ortiz was behind the wheel of the Nissan, which crashed into a van leaving damage to property nearby, according to the Harlingen Police Department.
The 21-year-old was “traveling at a high-rate of speed, while using her cellular phone and the manner of her driving caused a collision,” the police department said in a news release.
Mena was attempting to cross from 21st Street when Nunez-Ortiz crashed into the van, police said.
Harlingen police officers, crime scene technicians, and members of the Highway Enforcement Unit processed the scene in May.
An “extensive investigation” was conducted, which led authorities to make the arrest, according to police.
“The Harlingen Police Department would like to express its deepest sympathy to Mena’s family,” police said in a news release.
Nunez-Ortiz’s bond was set at $250,000 on the manslaughter charge.