Coroner IDs 24-year-old woman killed in suspected DUI crash in northeast Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - A 24-year-old woman was killed in a suspected DUI crash overnight, according to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police.

LVMPD said the crash happened around 12:16 a.m. Dec. 16 near Nellis Boulevard and Meikle Lane, south of Lake Mead Boulevard. According to police, a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado was speeding southbound on Nellis when in crossed over the opposite lanes and drove up on the sidewalk. The car continued through a chain-link fence and into a vacant lot, where it eventually hit the metal pole of a billboard and into a brick wall.

Police said the passenger, Jennifer Rubi Soto-Cruz, was killed in the crash and pronounced dead on scene. She was not wearing a seatbelt. The driver, 21-year old Jesus Martinez-Ruiz from North Las Vegas, suffered minor injuries.

Police said Martinez-Ruiz is suspected of driving while impaired and was booked into Clark County Detention Center.

The passenger’s death marks the 145th traffic-related fatality in the LVMPD’s jurisdiction for 2022.

According to the police report, Martinez-Ruiz admitted to investigators that he had smoked marijuana and consumed alcohol at his residence before the accident.

The car was traveling 98-mph at the time of the crash.

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