Suspect Arrested in Fatal Hit-and-Run of Motorcyclist on Highway 101 in East Palo Alto
EAST PALO ALTO, CA — An 18-year-old man was arrested Thursday afternoon, approximately 200 miles away, following a hit-and-run incident that claimed the life of a motorcyclist on Highway 101.
At about 6:05 a.m. on October 5, officers from the California Highway Patrol (CHP) responded to reports of a motorcycle crash near University Avenue on southbound Highway 101. They discovered the motorcycle and its rider in the transition lane; the rider, identified as 38-year-old Irma Elizabeth Oxlaj Vargas of Redwood City, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the San Mateo County Coroner’s Office.
Initial investigations revealed that Vargas was in the fourth lane from the left when an Acura TL sedan struck her motorcycle before fleeing the scene. Officers recovered a license plate from the suspect vehicle, aiding in the identification of both the vehicle and the suspect, Julian Adame Jr. of Kingsburg.
Around 12:15 p.m., CHP officers located and arrested Adame in Cutler, Tulare County. He was booked into San Mateo County Jail on suspicion of felony hit-and-run and vehicular manslaughter.
Authorities have not disclosed how Adame left the Bay Area. The investigation is ongoing, with further inquiries into the possible involvement of drugs or alcohol. Adame is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.