A night that started with friends hanging out in dirt fields near Mather Airport ended in tragedy on Eagles Nest Road. Around 9:15 p.m. on Monday, two 20-year-old e-motorcycle riders were stopped at a stop sign when a Nissan Titan pickup truck traveling at an extreme high rate of speed lost control and struck them. Both riders were killed instantly. Neither was wearing a helmet.
The pickup truck wasn’t driven by a stranger. According to the California Highway Patrol, the riders and the people in the truck all knew one another. Witnesses told officers that these groups of young men had been hanging out together in nearby dirt fields, possibly drinking. In the moments after the collision, two male subjects fled the scene into nearby fields. One was detained. The other was arrested at his home and identified as 24-year-old Jihvon Thompson.
Thompson now faces two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter, two counts of felony DUI causing great bodily injury or death, one count of felony hit and run, and additional DUI charges. He’s being held in the Sacramento County Main Jail with bail set at $550,000. His court date was scheduled for Thursday. CHP Officer Angie Monroe summed up what many in Sacramento are feeling:“It’s disheartening to know that people feel the need to drive so recklessly when it’s so senseless. So many lives are changed.”
The crash also impacted two other people who were transported to the hospital—one with major injuries, one with moderate—though it remains unclear whether they were in the truck or another vehicle that was clipped during the collision. The incident closed Eagles Nest Road for hours, not reopening until after 4 a.m. Tuesday. Alcohol is suspected to have been a factor in the crash.
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Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.
