Teenage boy, 2-year-old killed in wrong-way crash on Tempe street
Oct 27, 2021, 3:45 PM
(Tempe Police Department Photo/Facebook)
(Tempe Police Department Photo/Facebook)
PHOENIX — A teenage boy and a 2-year-old girl were killed in a wrong-way crash on a Tempe street earlier this week, authorities said.
Two vehicles were involved in the wreck that happened around 11:30 p.m. Monday on Price Road near Southern Avenue, according to the Tempe Police Department.
A car was traveling northbound in the southbound lanes when it crashed into a vehicle driven by a 23-year-old woman, the lone occupant, police said.
The wrong-way driver was a 17-year-old boy. His car carried three passengers, two of whom were killed.
Police said Wednesday they will submit the case to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office for review, so the teen driver was not in custody.
On Tuesday, police said they were investigating whether impairment was a factor.
Aldous Harris, a 17-year-old senior at McClintock High School, and the toddler, who was not restrained in the car, died, police said.
The girl’s mother was also in the vehicle. She and each of the drivers were hospitalized with serious injuries, police said.
“Just a reminder about several safety factors here: People think of wrong-way drivers generally on the freeway; wrong-way drivers are all over the place unfortunately,” Tempe Detective Natalie Barela told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Tuesday morning.
She added that children in vehicles need to be restrained.
“This is a tragic incident, and we want to keep people safe and aware,” Barela said.
KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Luke Forstner contributed to this report.
