Authorities in Oklahoma have charged an undocumented immigrant with the deaths of four individuals following a tragic highway incident. The suspect allegedly drove under the influence in the wrong direction, resulting in a fatal collision, officials reported on Tuesday.
The individual, identified as 27-year-old Michael Rosario-Cruz, was apprehended after being discharged from a hospital. He now faces multiple charges, including four counts of second-degree murder, two counts of DUI causing serious injuries, possessing an open container, illegal firearm possession, carrying a firearm while intoxicated, and driving against traffic on a one-way road. He remains in custody at the Canadian County Jail.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol outlined that Rosario-Cruz was operating a vehicle in the early hours of Friday morning, traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 40 within Canadian County, when he collided head-on with another car.
Tragically, all four occupants of the impacted vehicle perished as the car burst into flames upon impact.
Authorities confirmed that the victims, aged between 18 and 20, lost their lives in this devastating incident.
The deceased have been identified as 20-year-old Kiercey Hickson, 19-year-old Quincy Jones, and 18-year-olds Haliegh Salazar and Brad Palmer.
“Driving impaired is a reckless, life-changing decision,” the Highway Patrol said in a social media post announcing the charges. “The loss of these young lives will have a lasting impact on countless family members, friends, and communities.”
A spokesperson for the Oklahoma Highway Patrol told Fox News Digital that Rosario-Cruz is the subject of a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer request, meaning ICE has asked to be notified when he is released from custody so they can arrest him and begin deportation proceedings.
It was not clear when Rosario-Cruz entered the US, nor his country of origin.
Fox News Digital has reached out to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The four victims were recently remembered at a vigil at El Reno High School, where three of them had recently graduated, News9 reported.
Nancy Salsman, a retired teacher, said three of the victims were once students in her second-grade classroom.
“You just make that connection that never goes away,” she told the news outlet. “They’re always your kids. And when something like this happens we come together.”
