Driver Charged with Murder After Fatal Pedestrian Crash in North Hollywood
Vidal Cruz Jr., 31, of Pacoima, drove his gray Acura into two pedestrians on Colfax Avenue around 2:25 a.m. Sunday, killing a man in his 30s at the scene and a woman in her 50s at a hospital. Cruz crashed into parked cars and a home before his arrest on two counts of murder with $4 million bail.
Downtowngal / Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)Fatal Pedestrian Collision Vidal Cruz Jr.
m. Sunday, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The man, in his 30s, died at the scene of the crash. The woman, in her 50s, died later at the hospital after the crash. The two pedestrians had just stepped out of a parked Toyota Camry before being struck, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department stated.
Vehicle Crashes into Parked Cars and Home After striking the pedestrians, Vidal Cruz Jr.
crashed his vehicle into three parked cars and a home, ABC 7 reported. Cruz slammed his car into a car parked in a driveway of a home in North Hollywood. The crash left a hole in the wall of the home in North Hollywood, according to ABC 7.
Arrest and Charges Vidal Cruz Jr.
was arrested following the incident. He was booked on two counts of murder, according to the LAPD. Bail for Vidal Cruz Jr. was set at $4 million, the LAPD stated.
Eyewitness Account Diego Rojas, who lives at the home, said of the driver to ABC 7: > "He wasn’t as scared or as shocked as he should’ve been.
That’s what I noticed." Diego Rojas added to ABC 7:
“He was just trying to get out of his car as if nothing happened, but two people passed away.”
Story Timeline
4 events- 2026-04-12 2:25 a.m.
Vidal Cruz Jr. drives gray Acura into pedestrians on Colfax Avenue, then into parked cars and home.
3 sourcesLos Angeles County Sheriff’s Department · ABC 7 - 2026-04-12 post-crash
Man in 30s dies at scene; woman in 50s dies at hospital.
1 sourceLos Angeles County Sheriff’s Department - 2026-04-12 after incident
Vidal Cruz Jr. arrested and booked on two counts of murder with $4 million bail.
1 sourceLAPD - 2026-04-12
Diego Rojas provides statement on driver's demeanor.
1 sourceABC 7
Potential Impact
- 01
Two fatalities from the crash, affecting families of the man in his 30s and woman in her 50s.
- 02
Property damage to three parked cars and a North Hollywood home with a wall hole.
- 03
Ongoing legal proceedings for Vidal Cruz Jr. on murder charges with $4 million bail.
- 04
Potential investigation into driver's condition at time of crash.
- 05
Community concern in Pacoima and North Hollywood areas due to the incident.
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