A 19-year-old man has turned himself in to Clark County detectives, nine months after a single-vehicle crash in Fern Prairie on Aug. 2, 2025, that killed his 18-year-old passenger.
The driver, identified by investigators as Matthew Kenne, is now facing a vehicular homicide charge along with a minor-in-possession charge in connection with the late-night wreck. The passenger, later identified as 18-year-old Nicholas Allen Ortiz of Washougal, was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to KPTV, detectives say electronic data pulled from the 2013 Jeep Patriot shows the SUV was moving between 67 and 72 miles per hour when it failed to make a curve and slammed into a tree. Toxicology testing later showed the driver’s blood-alcohol concentration was above the legal limit, and deputies reported finding additional evidence inside the Jeep during what they described as a months-long investigation.
KPTV reports that on May 12 Kenne walked up to detectives in front of the Clark County Jail in Vancouver and turned himself in. He was booked on the listed charges as the case moves toward prosecution.
What the charges mean
In Washington, vehicular homicide is treated as a serious felony that can bring significant prison time if convicted. Minor-in-possession, on the other hand, is typically filed as a gross misdemeanor, which still carries possible jail time and fines but sits lower on the state’s sentencing ladder.
The Revised Code of Washington defines vehicular homicide under RCW 46.61.520 and classifies it as a class A felony. Underage alcohol possession and related penalties are outlined separately in RCW 66.44.270, as set out by the Revised Code of Washington.
Crash scene and victim
The Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the passenger as Nicholas Allen Ortiz and listed blunt trauma as the cause of death, according to KPTV.
Deputies were called to the scene just after midnight on Aug. 2, 2025. They arrived to find the Jeep blocking the roadway with heavy damage concentrated on the passenger side. Ortiz was found unresponsive in the passenger seat and could not be revived despite emergency efforts.
Deputies said the driver was able to get out of the vehicle and was taken to a hospital for treatment. Investigators later collected additional electronic and forensic evidence, which they say supported the vehicular homicide allegation.
Prosecutors in Clark County will review the case and set court dates. Booking details and an initial arraignment schedule were not immediately available.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate and is asking anyone with information about the crash to contact detectives. Hoodline will monitor court filings and local updates as they are released.
