A woman on a late night walk was killed by a possible DUI driver in Anaheim. Darsha Philips reports for the NBC4 News at 11 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024.
A suspected DUI driver struck and killed a 49-year-old woman who was out for a walk in Anaheim Tuesday night, according to the Anaheim Police Department.
The crash happened sometime around 8:30 p.m. near the intersection of Rio Vista Street and Wagner Avenue. There, the speeding driver of a silver Mercedes Benz barreled into a fence and onto a walking path, where a woman was taking her stroll.
The car came to a stop after it landed in a shallow body of water.
“My wife heard a crash and it sounded like someone dropped a washing machine out their truck,” said Al Sack, who lives in Anaheim. “We heard no screeching tires and next thing I know, there were helicopters overhead.”
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Sgt. Matt Sutter of the Anaheim Police Department said first responders learned the crash may have been a fatality after a man approached them letting them know his wife was unaccounted for after going for a walk. Urban search and rescue personnel, usually deployed for confined space rescues or search it steep and rough terrain, were called the scene.
The victim's body was found in thick brush.
“During our investigation, an Anaheim resident came up to us and said that his wife had went for a walk and she had not returned,” Sgt. Sutter said. “Our officers looked in the area an, with the help of our helicopter, sadly, unfortunately, located a female that was deceased in a nearby brush.”
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The victim was identified as 49-year-old Jessica Ferrino. Family members and friends said Ferrino, a special education teacher, often walked and jogged on the trail.
"It's unimaginable," said Sutter. "There's no excuse, this man, their family, their whole world is turned upside down."
The driver and passenger of the car that struck the woman were taken to a nearby hospital with minor injuries. The driver has since been detained.
