S.F. man dies in suspected DWI crash
Second man from S.F. facing charges after I-25 wreck near Abq.
A Santa Fe man is facing a slew of charges after being accused of causing a fatal rollover crash Friday night on northbound Interstate 25 that took the life of a 66-year-old Santa Fe man.
Jonathan Matthew Lujan, 22, is being charged with a DWI count of homicide by vehicle; two counts of great bodily harm by vehicle while driving under the influence; driving while under the influence of liquor or drugs; reckless driving; a DWI-related count of driving while license revoked; having no insurance; and possession of an open container, according to online court records.
New Mexico State Police officers responded to the fatal crash just north of Paseo Del Norte Boulevard north of Albuquerque at about 10 p.m. and found Lujan kneeling nearby his white 2023 Jeep SUV complaining about injuries to his whole body, according to a criminal complaint filed Saturday in Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court. He had rear-ended a 2003 Toyota pickup, according to a state police news release Saturday.
The driver of the pickup — 66-year-old Hector Beltran of Santa Fe — was pronounced dead at the scene.
A 39-year-old woman and a 10-year-old girl who were passengers in the pickup suffered broken bones and were transported to Albuquerque’s University of New Mexico Hospital, according to the complaint. Their conditions were not known.
Officers interviewing Lujan immediately after the crash noted he had bloodshot, watery eyes and had an “overwhelming” smell of alcohol emitting from his breath, the complaint says.
It says Lujan denied drinking alcohol prior to driving shortly before officers discovered an open can of alcohol in his SUV’s center console.
While a standardized field sobriety test was not performed on Lujan due to his needing medical treatment, the complaint states he participated in a blood draw after police obtained a warrant for his blood.
Lujan was first brought to an area hospital. He was then booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center in Albuquerque at 9 a.m. Saturday, according to the jail’s online records.
Alcohol and speed appear to have been contributing factors in the crash, according to state police. The crash is being investigated by state police.