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DUI driver arrested on suspicion of murder in minivan crash that kills 6
A man with no driver's license was arrested on suspicion of murder and DUI after crashing into a tree in Napa County, killing six passengers.
NAPA COUNTY, Calif. - Six people were killed and two others were injured in a suspected DUI crash in Napa County Sunday evening, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The California Highway Patrol identified the driver – and DUI suspect – as Norberto Celerino, 53, out of Stockton. Napa County jail records show he will be held without bail when he is discharged from the hospital.
Just before 6 p.m. CHP officers were dispatched to the area of 6198 Pope Valley Road in an unincorporated part of the county, where they found a car crashed into a tree.
What we know:
The CHP said the Toyota minivan, carrying eight people, had veered off the road and crashed into a tree.
"It’s a very horrible feeling to think that that happened here," said Virginia Johnson, who witnessed the aftermath of the crash on the edge of her property. "It looked to me like the car had just been split, you know split apart."
Six people died at the scene of the crash, the CHP said. The driver of the car and one passenger were airlifted to a nearby hospital and were being treated for major injuries. The CHP indicated that they didn't believe any children were in the van.
The CHP investigate a deadly crash that killed six. Sept. 7, 2025
Celerino was placed under arrest at the hospital on suspicion of murder and DUI, according to the CHP. KTVU has learned Celerino has at least one DUI in San Joaquin County and does not have a valid driver's license.
"Our officers responded to the hospital where the driver was, began speaking with him about the crash, and as they were doing that, began forming the opinion that he was driving under the influence," CHP Sgt. Andrew Barclay said. "So a DUI investigation was conducted."
Pope Valley Road reopened at 2 a.m. on Monday.
The crash occurred in the unincorporated community of Pope Valley, about 12 miles north of St. Helena.
Johnson said speeding is a regular issue on the road, which is increasingly being used by the community to commute across Napa County. "I would like to see them lower the speed limit," she added.
The site of the crash is down the road from Pope Valley Union Elementary School and Calla Lily Estate and Winery.
Authorities have not identified the six people killed in the crash.
A memorial for a 10-year-old boy killed in a crash on Pope Valley Road in Napa.
Dig deeper:
This is the second deadly DUI-related crash on this stretch of road in the last 1.5 months.
On July 18, father Aaron Kennedy, 35, was charged in the death of his 10-year-old son. Prosecutors say Kennedy was driving with a .08 percent blood alcohol content as he crashed his Toyota Corolla on Chiles Pope Valley Road.
The Source: The California Highway Patrol
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