A 22-year-old San Francisco man is facing felony DUI and manslaughter charges after California Highway Patrol officers say he made an unsafe lane change at 70 mph on northbound Highway 99, triggering a rollover crash that killed the driver of another pickup truck near Carpenter Road in Modesto Sunday evening.
According to FOX40, CHP officers responded to crash reports around 6:07 p.m. on northbound Highway 99 north of Carpenter Road. Officers say John Rojasnaranjo was driving a silver Chevrolet pickup truck in the middle lane when he made an unsafe lane change to the right and struck the left side of a GMC pickup truck traveling just ahead of him in the right lane. As reported by CBS Sacramento, officers arrested Rojasnaranjo on suspicion of DUI causing injury or death, vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and driving with a suspended license, before booking him into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center.
Rollover Sent GMC Driver Onto Sisk Road
The impact caused the GMC driver to lose control, and the truck overturned, landing on its roof on the west shoulder of Sisk Road, per the FOX40 account. The Chevrolet pickup came to rest on the east shoulder embankment. The GMC driver was partially ejected during the rollover and was not wearing a seatbelt, and was later pronounced dead at the scene, the outlet's report notes.
Rojasnaranjo, meanwhile, was wearing his seatbelt and was not hurt, according to the same account. His passenger, 27-year-old Daly City resident Saul Montoya, was also belted in and uninjured. ABC10 reported on the crash, while FOX40 reported that the Chevrolet was traveling 70 mph when the lane change occurred.
What The Charges Could Mean
Gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, filed under California Penal Code Section 191.5(a), is a felony punishable by four, six, or ten years in state prison, according to the Shouse Law Group, which notes prosecutors must prove both intoxication and a separate act of gross negligence that directly caused a death. Separately, California Vehicle Code Section 23153, which covers DUI causing bodily injury or death, is classified as a wobbler offense that can be prosecuted as a felony, exposing defendants to multi-year prison terms and license restrictions, per My Rights Law.
A Stretch Of Highway With A Troubled Record
Sunday's crash adds to a grim pattern on this corridor. CBS Sacramento reported that the same stretch of Highway 99 and Sisk Road was the site of a high-speed street racing crash in August 2025, in which a vehicle overturned multiple times before landing on Sisk Road.
The region's struggles with impaired driving extend well beyond this one interchange. Modesto ranked second among 62 comparable California cities for its rate of alcohol-involved traffic collisions per capita, according to California Office of Traffic Safety evaluations compiled in 2026 and cited by Maison Law. A separate CalMatters study published in 2026 found that alcohol-impaired crashes in Central California carry a fatality rate more than double the statewide average.
Seatbelt Use Remains A Deadly Factor
National data underscore why the outcome for the GMC driver proved fatal. Complete ejection during a crash is almost always fatal, while lap and shoulder belts reduce the risk of fatal injury to light truck occupants by 60%, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration research. Seat belts remain a key protection for vehicle occupants.
The crash involved a driver suspected of impaired driving. The identity of the GMC driver killed Sunday has not yet been released pending coroner notification.
