Posted on 07/17/2026 8:10:48 PM PDT by BenLurkin
A Tesla driver was arrested and charged with murder this week after a mother and her baby died in a fiery crash on Highway 87 in San Jose. The Tesla driver, 31-year-old Zachary Chernicky of San Jose, was allegedly driving 142 mph seconds before he caused the deadly collision, according to prosecutors and the California Highway Patrol.
Two of the vehicles tangled in the four-car collision were Teslas that burst into flames on the busy highway on December 2, 2025, the CHP said.
Ivana Balistreri, 30, and her 2-year-old toddler, Lilliana, were passengers in a Lexus that also caught fire, according to family and investigators. The mother and toddler died, while the Lexus driver was hospitalized.
A lengthy investigation revealed that Chernicky was driving 142 mph 15 seconds before the crash, 126 mph 5 seconds before the crash, and 102 when he plowed into the back of the Lexus, prosecutors said Friday. The victims’ Lexus was stopped in heavy traffic on Highway 87 near Curtner Avenue when Chernicky’s speeding Tesla plowed into the back of it.
Balistreri and her baby “were burned to death in the crash,” the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office wrote. CHP officers conducted a months-long investigation to determine which driver caused the wreck.
CHP officials wrote, “After a thorough investigation, the driver of one of the Tesla’s, Zachary Chernicky from San Jose, was determined to be at fault for this crash. A warrant for Chernicky’s arrest was issued, and on Monday, July 13, 2026, officers from the San Jose CHP office arrested Chernicky.”
(Excerpt) Read more at ktla.com ...
So the TESLA drove 142 mph? How about the idiot DRIVER drove 142 mph? But, no, gotta make a dig at Elon.
Nothing like driving a rolling computer recording your every flicker of an eyelash.
Per the photo, the accident occurred during daytime. You
Might be able to get away with that in the middle of the night, but it is a heavy commuter road, and doing so any time during the day is literally insane
Yes. Teslas have taken over from SUVs
What does the car being a Tesla have to do with the story? These are plant stories from stock traders who are shorting Tesla.
What was the Teslas’s name? Christine?
Suicide? No way out? PTSD? Massive debt?
Can’t seem to find Zachary’s picture. Plenty of crash pictures and victim’s pictures, but where is Zachary?
It is unlikely a Tesla (or any such car) could drive 80mph over the speed limit in automatic drive mode. So the guy can’t blame the car, except in the unlikely event it malfunctioned in some way.
A lengthy investigation revealed that Chernicky was driving 142 mph
I am impressed at a Tesla can do 142 mph. Should be racing in NASCAR. If a stock Tesla cand do 142, then a race tuned Tesla could probably do 200 plus.
We know 220 is about the max you can take a car without going airborne.
As always. “Speed to fast for conditions”
I beat this into my kids along with “Following distance”
Still did not keep them from a lot stupid stuff when they were much younger. But overall they have learned that lesson and have had their cars for a long time now.
I place all the rolling, totaling and early fire explosion stuff blame on the Dukes of Speed Racer tv shows they watched in their formative years.
I’m sure they’re waiting to blame this on Elon.
I'm just choking back tears at this horrible story. Thinking about the beautiful young Ivana and her toddler Lilliana.
Tesla drivers are the absolute worst. They just love to flog their acceleration between stoplights, slamming on the brakes at the last second. You see them weaving in and out on 101 and 280 all the time. I saw one recently that made six lane changes on Foothill Expressway while I stayed in the right lane, then we both got to the next red light and were side-by-side. That asshole got zero advantage but ran major risks every time he darted to a different lane.
I remember decades ago when it was BMW and Mercedes drivers who earned the "worst driver" awards around here.
Gee, ya think?
Don’t EVs have a ton more get up and go ? so it may surprise people
“Should be racing in NASCAR”
They would probably run out of juice halfway through the first lap.
Simply take his organs out, while he is alive, to give them to people in need.
This is much more helpful than the electric chair for murder.
Oh, and do not put him under, unless it hurts the organs. There’s no need to waste anesthesia on him.
You beat me to it. The lame stream media are propandist scums.
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