Driver impaired by marijuana sentenced for Peoria crash that killed 5

A man who drove under the influence of marijuana when he was 16, causing a crash that killed five people, has been sentenced to 30 years in  prison, authorities announced Friday.

Bjorn Hartzell is now 20. He pleaded guilty to five counts of second-degree murder and one count of endangerment in connection with the crash in November 2022, according to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.

“No one expects a routine drive to end in tragedy because another driver chose to speed while impaired,” Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in the announcement. “Cases like this highlight why reckless and impaired driving remain among the greatest dangers on our roads.”

Only one juvenile survived the November 2022 Thanksgiving collision

Hartzell was driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee near 107th Avenue and Lone Cactus Drive in Peoria when he struck a family minivan, prosecutors said.

Minutes before the collision, Hartzell was driving between 112 and 115 mph in a 40 mph zone.

Two adults and four minors who had just left a Thanksgiving get-together were in the van.

The van’s driver, 36-year-old Elizabeth Simpson of Glendale, and front-seat passenger, 31-year-old Jace Hochstetler of Phoenix, were pronounced dead at the scene.

One of the juveniles died shortly after being hospitalized, and two minors later died from their injuries, prosecutors said.

The only survivor from the minivan was a minor.

Hartzell was under the influence of marijuana during the crash, prosecutors said.

“Five lives were lost because of one person’s decisions behind the wheel,” Mitchell said. “While no sentence can undo that loss, we will continue to seek justice for victims and hold dangerous drivers accountable.”

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