Beer bottles found in SUV that crashed, killing 5 family members

A California teenager accused of being drunk when he crashed into another vehicle, killing five family members, will be arraigned Monday in Nevada.

Authorities said beer bottles were found inside the SUV of Jean Soriano, 18, who on Sunday was charged with several counts including DUI.

The accident occurred on Interstate 15 in southeastern Nevada early Saturday morning when Soriano crashed his Dodge Durango into the back of the family’s Chevy Astro van.

There were seven people in the van at the time, which spun around and overturned. The two who survived were taken to the hospital in critical condition, according to Loy Hixson of the Nevada Highway Patrol.

Hixson said Soriano was driving the Durango and was arrested after he was treated and released from a hospital. A 23-year-old passenger in the Durango also survived.

The Associated Press on Sunday reported the names of the victims, who were from Southern California.

The five: 41-year-old Genaro Fernandez of Norwalk; 49-year-old Raudel Fernandez-Avila; and 53-year-old Belen Fernandez of Lynwood; and 13-year-old Angela Sandoval; and 45-year-old Leonardo Fernandez-Avila of Los Angeles, according to the Associated Press.

A spokesperson for the Clark County coroner’s office told the AP that the relationships between the family members was still unknown, but the Nevada Highway Patrol said Saturday it included a man, his teenage daughter, and her aunt and two uncles.

According to Channel 3 in Las Vegas, Soriano faces a total of nine charges and is being held at the Clark County detention center. He will be arraigned Monday.

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