Man Faces Murder Charge in Fatal Crash,Had Prior DUI and Deportation Order
A man is facing murder and gross vehicular manslaughter charges following a Sunday afternoon collision in San Diego County that resulted in the death of a young girl. Jesus Alva, 31, of Oceanside, is accused of driving under the influence when his 2025 Toyota Tacoma crossed a double-yellow line on San Felipe Road and collided head-on with a Toyota Camry. The Tacoma later struck a Ford F-350 pulling a utility trailer.
The driver of the Camry, a 26-year-old marine sergeant from Yuma, and his passengers – a 28-year-old woman and three children – were transported to hospitals. Tragically, one of the children, identified in court documents as Aria T. (and spelled Arya on a family GoFundMe page), died from her injuries. The father and two other children sustained serious injuries, with the father facing life-altering injuries and one individual suffering paralysis, according to court documents. A 13-year-old passenger in the Ford F-350 sustained minor injuries.
Alva and his 24-year-old passenger were able to exit the burning Tacoma after the crash. The extent of Alva’s injuries has not been released.
This incident is not Alva’s first encounter with the law regarding impaired driving. In april 2021, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor drunken driving stemming from a September 2020 crash, with a blood-alcohol content of at least 0.15%. He had been warned at the time that causing a death while driving under the influence could result in a murder charge. He was sentenced to five years of probation, scheduled to end next year. He also faces two additional charges of driving while intoxicated causing injury within 10 years of a DUI conviction, related to injuries sustained in Sunday’s crash.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reports that Alva was previously ordered removed from the country by an immigration judge in 2023 but remained in the United States. ICE has stated they will request an immigration detainer to take Alva into custody upon his release from the hospital.
Bail was set at $2 million at Alva’s arraignment on Tuesday, and he is expected to be booked into jail once medically cleared. His next court hearing is scheduled for January 7th.
The California Values Act (Senate Bill 54) limits cooperation between local law enforcement and immigration agencies, with exceptions for individuals convicted of certain serious or violent felonies.
A GoFundMe account has been established to support the Cruzacencio family, who were preparing for the Marine sergeant’s transition out of the military when the collision occurred.
