Alleged Peninsula hit-and-run driver fatally strikes woman, goes to work
Fatal Peninsula hit-and-run crashes linked to drivers rushing to work
Loved ones are mourning the loss of a 61-year-old woman who was killed while in a crosswalk in Burlingame. A suspect has been charged with vehicular manslaughter.
BURLINGAME, Calif. - Twice within two weeks, drivers have barreled through red lights along the Peninsula while heading to work, killing victims before fleeing the scene, authorities said.
Tragedy in Burlingame
What we know:
On March 11, Arlene Ocampo, 61, was in a crosswalk near El Camino Real and Trousdale Drive in Burlingame when she was hit by a car whose driver never stopped.
"He ran the red light, hit her, throwing her up onto, and over the top of his car. He then, without hitting the brake at all, kept on driving and drove to work," said San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.
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Ocampo, the mother of two daughters, died at the scene, just a block from the Burlingame Police Department.
She enjoyed cooking, gardening, and going to church.
On GoFundMe, her daughters wrote, "Though our hearts are broken, we find comfort in the memories of her beautiful life."
Burlingame police arrested the suspect, Joel Gilongos, 52, with the help of witnesses and video cameras. Gilongos has been charged with felony vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run.
Woman driving to work killed by a speeding hit-and-run driver in Brisbane
The family of the 59-year-old Lodi woman says she was just about to arrive at work as an Amazon driver in Brisbane when a speeding driver struck her and another vehicle. The driver fled the scene on foot. But police was able to identify, locate and arrest him just 6 hours later. A judge released the suspect on his own recognizance and ordered him to check in with the San Mateo Count Probation Department to be fitted for a GPS ankle monitor. On Thursday, but the suspect failed to show up. Now, the victim's family is concerned that the hit and run driver will not be brought to justice.
2nd deadly crash in Brisbane
What they're saying:
The tragedy bears many similarities to a March 24 crash in Brisbane that killed Rosa Baez, 59. She was headed to work at Amazon when a driver, Hector de la Torre-Jimenez, allegedly ran a red light on Bayshore Boulevard, ran off, and went to work.
"All because they wanted to not be a few minutes late to work," Wagstaffe said. "It's just a horrific decision by both of these men. They're both going to spend time in prison for what they did."
Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan
The Source: Interviews, previous KTVU reporting