Overview
- A fiery multi-vehicle crash on Highway 87 in San Jose on Dec. 2, 2025, killed 29-year-old Ivana Balistreri and her 1-year-old daughter Lilliana while their partner survived and tried to rescue them.
- Investigators recovered data they say shows the defendant’s Tesla was traveling about 142 mph 15 seconds before impact, 126 mph five seconds before impact, and roughly 102 mph at the moment it struck a stopped Lexus.
- Prosecutors arrested 31-year-old Zachary Chernicky in mid-July and have charged him with two counts of murder, framing the case on alleged excessive speed rather than a vehicle defect.
- Chernicky was arraigned and ordered held without bail and the criminal case has been set for further court appearances in late August as prosecutors prepare to use the vehicle data in court.
- The crash has left the family and community grieving, produced a public fundraiser for the victims, and could sharpen legal focus on when extreme speeding is charged as an intentional, deadly act.