Watsonville Man ID'd In Suspected-DUI Crash Off Bridge That Killed Woman, 18

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA – A man suspected of driving a car off a bridge and killing his passenger in unincorporated Monterey County on Saturday evening was identified today by the California Highway Patrol as 22-year-old Rafael Reyes Rangel of Watsonville.

Rangel allegedly crashed a 2015 Jeep Patriot near Elkridge and Garin roads near Las Lomas, killing an 18-year-old Salinas woman whose name hasn't been released, CHP officials said.

As of this morning, Rangel remains hospitalized at Natividad Medical Center, where he's being treated for various fractures, according to the CHP.

Rangel was driving the vehicle on northbound Elkhorn Road north of Garin Road around 50 to 60 mph at about 6 p.m. Saturday, CHP Sgt. John Medcalf said.

He allegedly drove the Jeep off the roadway and crashed into a bridge guardrail on the east side of the bridge, Medcalf said.

The vehicle continued about 40 feet north on the railing before it went 32 feet below the bridge, landing on its roof, according to Medcalf.

Emergency crews pronounced the 18-year-old woman dead at the scene and Rangel was transported to the hospital for major injuries, Medcalf said. Investigators reported alcohol was found in the vehicle and detected on Rangel, according to Medcalf.

• Also see: Officials ID 23-Year-Old Who Died Jumping From Cliff At Garden Of Eden

--Bay City News