Father, son killed after alleged drunk driver crashes into family vehicle, officers say

A father and his 7-year-old son died Saturday night in rural Fresno County after a suspected drunk driver crashed into their family vehicle, according to the California Highway Patrol.

It happened about 8 p.m. near Marks and North avenues, just beyond the southwest Fresno area.

CHP Sgt. Matt Radke said a driver of a Dodge pickup ran a stop sign while traveling north on Marks and collided with a Cadillac Escalade that had a family of six inside.

The father, identified Sunday as 45-year-old Jose Castillo of Fresno and son Jose Jr,. 7, were killed, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office confirmed. The boy’s age was initially reported as 8 on Saturday.

Two other family members were ejected from the large SUV and suffered major injuries.

The driver of the Dodge, identified Sunday as 21-year-old Jovan Cortez, had a 10-month-old girl in the truck with him, officers said.

The two had to be rescued by sheriff’s deputies before the truck became engulfed in flames, Radke added.

Cortez was being investigated for being under the influence of alcohol, Radke said. Sunday afternoon, he was booked into the Fresno County Jail.

“This was not an accident,” Radke said Saturday. “This was a crash that involved an innocent family that was trying to get home after going to a family event.

“Just a very sad situation due to the fact that the driver that was driving northbound in the Dodge pickup is being investigated for being under the influence of alcohol.”

Cortez suffered major injuries, officers said.

The 10-month-old baby who also was inside the Dodge pickup had been traveling in a car seat and was said to be fine.

CHP said there was a 4-year-old and teenagers among the passengers inside the Escalade.

This story was originally published May 1, 2021 at 9:30 PM.