EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A 48-year-old man turned himself in to police earlier this week in connection with a New Year’s Day crash that resulted in the death of an 18-year-old woman in Northeast El Paso, according to the El Paso Police Department (EPPD).
Person dies in New Year’s Day crash in Northeast El Paso
On Wednesday, Jan 21, 48-year-old Abel Garcia, from Chaparral, New Mexico, turned himself in and was charged with intoxication manslaughter, according to EPPD. He also had an outstanding warrant for family violence at the time, and he was booked into the El Paso County Detention Facility with a total bond of $151,500.
48-year-old Abel Garcia
As KTSM 9 News previously reported, at around 2 a.m. on Jan. 1, officers were called to the intersection of Gateway North and Sean Haggerty about a two-vehicle crash. Upon arrival, officers located a dead individual, later identified as 18-year-old Angelique Diaz De Leon, and contacted the Special Traffic Investigations (STI) to take over the investigation.
The preliminary investigation revealed that a Chevy Camaro was traveling east on Sean Haggerty through the Gateway North intersection when a pickup truck, driven by Garcia, T-boned the Camaro, according to EPPD.
The driver of the Camaro was taken to the hospital with minor injuries; however, the passenger, Diaz De Leon, was killed in the crash, EPPD added.
The investigation into this fatal crash is ongoing.
The contributing factor in this crash is a red-light violation on behalf of Garcia, and alcohol may also be a contributing factor, according to EPPD.
This was the first fatal crash of 2026.
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