CASTRO VALLEY, California --
As members of the California Highway Patrol mourns the loss of one of their own, officers remained at Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley, Monday afternoon, where they were keeping a close watch on the man they say caused the devastation.
"We have officers standing guard waiting for him to be treated and released," says CHP Asst. Chief Ernest Sanchez.
According to the CHP, a 22-year-old Hayward man was driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol Sunday night, when he drifted off Interstate 880 and slammed into the back of a parked patrol car with two CHP officers sitting inside.
"We have enough evidence and enough statements that have been made today to allow us to charge this individual when he gets released from the local hospital with some very serious felony charges," says Sanchez.
CHP officer Andrew Camilleri Sr. died from his injuries after being transported to St. Rose Hospital in Hayward. His fellow officer, Jonathan Velasquez, was treated for injuries at Eden and later released.
Sanchez added: "I'm not only disappointed but also angered that I had to notify a mother and three children that their father had deceased at a local hospital after being impacted by an individual who chose to drive irresponsibly."
The CHP says last night's fatality is just one in a growing number of deadly collisions on our local roadways. According to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, fatal car, motorcycle, bicycle and pedestrian collisions in the Bay Area jumped 43 percent between 2010 and 2016. The main factors cited in that analysis included speeding, unsafe turning and driver under the influence.
The crash has been tough for many people to process partly because the two CHP officers were out on patrol as part of the agency's maximum enforcement period for the holidays.
"We still have a very big holiday coming up, and at times involves more alcoholic beverages being served and that's New Years," Sanchez said.
The suspect was in serious condition as of Monday afternoon. CHP officials will release his identity once he is booked into jail after being treated and medically cleared from the hospital.
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CHP officer killed after being struck by alleged drunk driver on I-880 in Hayward
Monday, December 25, 2017 08:23PM
HAYWARD, Calif. (KGO) --
A California Highway Patrol officer died late Sunday night, and another was injured, when a speeding car drifted off the road and slammed into their stopped patrol car on the shoulder of southbound I-880.
Police say the 22-year-old Hayward man driving the red Cadillac that struck the officers was drunk, and may have also been under the influence of marijuana. He could face felony charges when he's released from the hospital, they said.
"This is not the way we wanted to celebrate Christmas Day," Assistant Chief Ernest Sanchez told a gathering of reporters at the CHP's Hayward office.
Sanchez identified the officer who was killed as Andrew Camilleri, 33 years old, of Tracy. He had been with the Highway Patrol for a year and four months before the accident that ended his life.
"The impact was so severe that it turned a utility vehicle into a very small compact vehicle," Sanchez said.
Camilleri and his partner, Jonathan Velasquez, were on a "maximum enforcement patrol" -- parked on the shoulder of I-880, looking for drivers who appeared to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Tragically, police say, that's exactly what they encountered.
The California Highway Patrol credit union has set up a fund to help the officer's family.
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HAYWARD, CA — Rookie CHP officer Andrew Camilleri Sr. had dreamed of wearing the uniform since high school and was working his first Christmas Eve shift, trying to the keep the roads safe from intoxicated drivers. But he couldn’t save himself when, just before midnight, a suspected drunken driver drifted off Interstate 880 and slammed into the back of his patrol car.
The crash crushed the officer’s SUV, injuring Camilleri’s fellow officer Jonathan Velasquez and killing Camilleri as his three children slept at home in Tracy. On Christmas morning, his wife Rosanna was still struggling with how to break the awful news.
“They were going to open their Christmas presents first before Rosanna tells them,” Andrew’s mother, Sharon Camilleri, said through tears Monday morning.
Andrew Camilleri was 33 and had only graduated from the CHP Academy in March, his mother said.
“Today is the tragic loss of one our own, who we will consider a hero now and forever,” CHP Assistant Chief Ernest Sanchez said at a morning news conference.
The officers’ SUV was parked on the shoulder of I-880 near State Highway 92 late Sunday night as they patrolled for dangerous drivers. Camilleri was in the front passenger seat, and Velasquez was behind the wheel. The Cadillac was driving so fast that the impact crushed the SUV into “a very small compact vehicle,” Sanchez said.
The crash shut down all southbound lanes on I-880 until 9:40 a.m. Monday.
Velasquez, another young officer in the Hayward division, suffered minor injuries and was treated and released from Eden Medical Center, Sanchez said. “He will live with this tragedy of his seeing his partner die.”
The CHP on Monday afternoon had yet to disclose the name of the 22-year-old driver who was being treated for serious injuries at a hospital. Officers believe he was under the influence of marijuana and alcohol when he got behind the wheel and headed south on 880. Sanchez said he was coming home from a party, and “obviously had too much to drink and too much to smoke.” The crash was reported shortly before midnight on Sunday.
“Today, I’m not only disappointed but also angered in that I had to notify a mother and three children that their father had (died) at a local hospital after being impacted by a person who chose to drive irresponsibly,” Sanchez said. “That is the message today on Christmas Day: These irresponsible and senseless acts need to stop.” California Highway Patrol Golden Gate Division Assistant Chief Ernie Sanchez speaks at a press conference regarding a crash that killed a CHP officer Christmas morning on Dec. 25, 2017, in Hayward, Calif. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
Camilleri was the latest victim in a growing number of fatal collisions on Bay Area roadways involving drugs or alcohol, Sanchez said. Between 2010 and 2016, the number of fatal crashes in the Bay Area increased 43 percent with speed, unsafe turning, and driving under the influence the top three contributors, according to an analysis by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.
Earning his badge was a long-time dream for Camilleri, who was part of the CHP’s Explorer Program in high school, his mother said. But it wasn’t one he realized right away — instead he got married and had children, built a career at Clark Pest Control, and put off enrolling in the rigorous 27-week CHP training program. The badge of California Highway Patrol Golden Gate Division Assistant Chief Ernie Sanchez is photographed on Dec. 25, 2017, in Hayward, Calif. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
He finally enrolled in the CHP Academy last year, and graduated March 3. He got a big kick out of the traditional run that marks the event: Graduating cadets run five miles from the academy building in Sacramento to the California Peace Officers’ Memorial across from the Capitol, while their fellow cadets line the route, poised in push-up position.
“I was very proud of him,” Sharon Camilleri said. “Very, very proud.”
The Christmas tragedy was an emotional blow to his fellow officers at the CHP. Camilleri is the second CHP officer to die in the line of duty this year, according to an online database maintained by the California Association of Highway Patrolmen, a union that represents CHP officers. Officer Lucas Forrest Chellew was killed in a crash in February in South Sacramento while pursuing a vehicle.
“Andrew was drawn to this profession due to his courage, his integrity and his desire to serve,” said Capt. Tim Pearson, commander of the CHP’s Hayward division. “The consequences of this action affect the department statewide, but that pales in comparison to what his wife and three children now have to live with.”
Camilleri’s family said he was a “hands-on dedicated father” to his 12-year-old daughter and 6- and 2-year-old sons. He was scheduled to work Christmas Eve and Christmas morning, so the family celebrated on Friday.
On Christmas Eve, his mother Sharon Camilleri was spending the holiday at her sister Michele Speciale’s house in Monterey. At 2 a.m. Christmas morning the phone rang. It was Andrew’s wife, Rosanna. Sharon had to get to the hospital “right now,” Rosanna said. “Something happened to Andrew.”
In shock, Sharon Camilleri and her daughter, 27-year-old Ashley Wharton, jumped in the car and rushed to Hayward. The drive took an hour and a half, and the two women’s minds were racing. Camilleri kept thinking that if they got pulled over for speeding, she’d tell them her son was the CHP officer in the hospital, and they had to get to him.
When they got there, he was already gone. The family is still in shock, Sharon Camilleri said, even though a small part of her had known this day might come.
“It’s always in the back of your mind,” she said, “when you’ve got somebody in law enforcement.”