Arrest Made In Cedar Park Traffic Wreck That Killed 2 Boys

CEDAR PARK, TX — Police have arrested a teen in connection to a traffic fatality that killed two children earlier this month, saying the 18-year-old suspect was street racing when the wreck occurred.

During a 4 p.m. press briefing staged at police headquarters on Friday, police said Hayden Michael Hammer, 18, has been charged with two counts of racing on a highway causing death — a second-degree felony.

The two-car, daytime wreck occurred Jan 10 when a 2008 Dodge Ram driven by Hammer collided with a 2016 Nissan Rogue. The driver of the Nissan, Zara Salman, 32, remains in a coma while two children traveling with her — Daniel Chaudhary, 1, and Elijah Chaudhary, 9, died at the scene. Salman is the biological mother to the younger child and stepmother to the older boy, officials confirmed.

Based on evidence gathered at the scene, eyewitness accounts and nearby surveillance camera video footage, detectives determined Hammer was racing another truck in the westbound lanes of West Whitestone Boulevard prior to crashing into the Nissan, which was turning left onto Walton Way.

Hammer, who does not live in Cedar Park, was said to have been cooperative with police before being taken into custody without incident. He was expected to be booked into the Williamson County Jail, officials said. His bond has been set at $100,000 per each of the two charges.

Police are trying to locate the driver of a second truck involved in the street racing. The vehicle is described as a maroon or red Ford F-250. Those with information are urged to call police at (512) 260-4600.

A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to assist the boys' family cope with mounting medical medical bills and to defray funeral costs. A funeral service for the two boys has since taken place, while the driver remains hospitalized in critical condition.

The GoFundMe Drive has raised $27,440 of a $45,000 goal among 400 donors at last check.

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Two Children Killed In Cedar Park Traffic Collision

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>>> Hayden Michael Hammer booking photo via Williamson County Jail records; photos of Daniel Chaudhary and Elijah Chaudhary via GoFundMe