July 11, 2025 – Ventura County Sheriff’s Office officials report that on July 7, 2025, at approximately 2:07 a.m., a Ventura County Sheriff’s Sergeant assigned to the Camarillo Police Department was parked along the northbound 101 freeway on-ramp at Carmen Drive and observed a four-door sedan vehicle traveling at speeds in excess of 120 mph.  The Sergeant entered the U.S. 101 northbound and attempted to catch up with the vehicle with lights and sirens activated. 

Before the Sergeant could catch up with the vehicle and identify a license plate, the vehicle made a sudden and erratic turn to the right, crossing over the number 3 lane and the exit gore point, and exited the off-ramp at Central Avenue. The Sergeant subsequently lost sight of the vehicle, not knowing the vehicle’s direction of travel once it exited on Central Avenue.

The Sergeant drove back to the area of Central Avenue and arrived at the top of the off-ramp at approximately 2:11 a.m. in an attempt to locate the vehicle. The Sergeant looked to the west and saw the sedan had crashed down an embankment of the Central Avenue on-ramp to the U.S. 101 northbound near the Fairfield Inn & Suites. The Sergeant, along with other Camarillo deputies and officers from the Highway Patrol, approached the vehicle and found the driver (an 18-year-old male) unresponsive and unconscious. There were no other occupants in the vehicle. Deputies and officers began rendering first aid to the unconscious driver until care was taken over by members of the Ventura County Fire Department. The driver was transported to a local hospital but succumbed to his injuries.

Shortly after the vehicle collision scene was located, a clerk at the 7-Eleven located at 4418 Central Avenue called sheriff’s dispatch to report that there was a male juvenile at the business who was out of breath and had a severe cut to his hand. This juvenile was contacted by deputies and determined to be a passenger from the sedan that abruptly exited the freeway and collided down the embankment. The juvenile was provided medical care. CHP later determined the vehicle was an unreported stolen vehicle. The California Highway Patrol is handling the investigation into the fatal traffic collision.

Source: Ventura County Sheriff’s Office