Father and son killed in Saturday crash ID’d as suspected DUI driver is booked into jail

A father and his 7-year-old son were identified Sunday as those killed in a fiery weekend collision, while a man suspected of running a stop sign and driving drunk while causing the crash was booked into the Fresno County Jail.

Jose Castillo, 45, of Fresno and son Jose Jr. (previously identified by authorities as 8 years old) died in the crash involving an SUV and a pickup that happened about 8 p.m. Saturday near Marks and North avenues, just beyond Fresno’s southwest city limits.

The 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, California Highway Patrol Sgt. Matt Radke said late Saturday.

Identified on Sunday as Jovan Cortez, 22, the driver of the pickup had a 10-month-old girl riding with him. They were pulled from the wreckage by Fresno County sheriff’s deputies before the truck became engulfed in flames, Radke said.

Two other family members were ejected from the SUV and suffered injuries. A teen from the Cadillac sustained major injuries and was taken to Community Regional Medical Center. Three additional passengers in the Cadillac, ages 30, 4, and 7, all sustained minor injuries.

The baby inside the pickup had been in a car seat and was said to be fine.

Cortez was booked Sunday afternoon on charges that included two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, DUI causing bodily injury and death and child endangerment.

This story was originally published May 2, 2021 at 4:49 PM.