Police arrest driver in death of pedestrian
The driver who allegedly ran down two pedestrians at Rancho San Antonio Preserve on Tuesday, killing one, has been identified as 50-year-old Mireya Orta, according to the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office.
After being taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure, Orta was booked into the Main Jail in San Jose Tuesday night on suspicion of murder. Jail records show that Orta is being held without bail.
Public records show Orta’s most recent listed residence is in Santa Clara and that most of her family is in Southern California.
A motive for the violent acts linked to Orta remains unclear; the Sheriff’s Office said investigators are “actively working” to determine whether the suspect had relationships with either of the people she allegedly hit. Still, the immediately apparent circumstances were enough for the investigators to recommend a murder charge.
“It appears that it was intentional,” Deputy Jessica Gabaldon said.
The District Attorney’s Office said the case is under review, and that charges had not been filed as of Wednesday afternoon. Orta’s arraignment is tentatively scheduled for today.
At 12:52 p.m. Tuesday, authorities responded to reports that a motorist had hit two people in separate areas of the park near Cupertino and driven off. One victim was treated for minor injuries at the scene and released while the other was transported to a local hospital and pronounced dead at about 1:50 p.m.
The name of the victim who died was not immediately released pending identification and notification of next of kin.
Deputies apprehended Orta, who was driving an Audi A5, about 1:05 p.m., authorities said. The location of her arrest — and where, exactly, the pedestrians were hit within the park — have not been disclosed by the Sheriff’s Office.
The preserve, which is managed by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, is between Los Altos Hills and Cupertino and contains about 24 miles of trails, plus a service road that cuts through it.