One dead, three injured and driver arrested in high-speed rollover crash in north Fresno

Fresno Police are investigating a high-speed rollover crash on a low-speed curve on Chestnut Avenue just north of Herndon late Saturday that left a man dead and three others severely injured.

The victim, a 21-year-old man, was a passenger as were three others taken to local hospitals. His identity has not been released as of Sunday afternoon.

The driver of the vehicle, a BMW 535i, was Malakeh Ghaleb Jaber, 19, who was arrested and on Sunday booked into the Fresno County Jail. The driver’s age originally was reported by authorities as 20.

Jaber is facing four felony charges, including gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and driving under the influence with .08% alcohol causing injury/death, according to jail records.

She did not appear to suffer injuries in the single-car crash.

Speed played a factor in the crash, which occurred about 11:15 p.m.

The car, going south on Chestnut, hit a light pole where there is a curve in the road at Dearing Avenue, just north of Herndon. The passenger-side door was wrapped around a light pole, and the car rolled over and came to a stop about 50 yards down Chestnut after taking out a fire hydrant.

All of the passengers were thrown from the car by the force of the crash, and police suspect they were not wearing seat belts. Chestnut was closed between Alluvial and Herndon for several hours while investigators worked the scene.

“The individuals that were transported to the hospital, all of them had severe injuries,” Fresno police Lt. Paul Cervantes said before the fatality was confirmed. “One was very severe. We do believe that, at this point, some of the injuries are considered to be life-threatening. Because of that fact, we’re going to continue to maintain this crime scene, summon the assistance of a collision reconstruction unit.

“I would like to note that these types of accidents can be avoided. There are a variety of factors that could be at fault here, but one very obvious factor is speed. We’d like to remind the public to please pay attention to the speed limits on the roadway. This particular turn here, the speed limit is 35 mph, and there’s no doubt they were traveling way in excess of that speed.”

This story was originally published August 8, 2021 at 8:19 AM.