NORTH BAY VILLAGE, FLA. (WSVN) - On Thursday, police arrested Dionicio Enrique Castro, 30, for drug possession and a petty theft warrant from a year ago following a deadly crash that brought traffic to a halt on a busy bridge that connects Miami to North Bay Village.
Police and rescue crews then began searching Castro’s car, and that was when they found several items, including a bag believed to be marijuana, a scale, and a handgun on the floorboard.
The collision happened just after 2 p.m., Wednesday along Northeast 79th Street Causeway bridge when a black Mazda SUV and a grey Nissan collided.
Other drivers near the scene immediately rushed to help.
Police said Castro was speeding in the SUV when he approached the crest of the bridge, then veered into the eastbound lanes, striking the median, causing his SUV to go airborne roughly about 23 feet, before landing in the westbound lanes and striking the Nissan with three people inside.
“Crashed into the median,” said Miami Police officer Kiara Delva, “his vehicle went airborne and ultimately went into the third lane of the westbound traffic, colliding into a second vehicle.”
Rescue crews would arrive at the scene to find a total of four people injured.
The bridge closed for several hours in both directions and reopened about four hours later.
The crash victims were taken to Jackson Memorial’s Ryder Trauma Center and North Shore Medical Center in various conditions. Three of those were trauma alerts, and one person would not survive, 38-year-old Noemi Arias, a mother of five.
Miami Police reported she was a front passenger in the Nissan.
“She was a good mother,” said Miguel, who asked that we not show his face.
He said she was the mother of his child.
“I’m going to miss her because we were friends,” he said.
The condition of the other passengers is unknown at this time.
“I heard a huge bang and tires screeching,” said Joanne Alvarez, who witnessed the aftermath, “and that’s when I looked over the balcony.”
Alvarez captured the moments that would follow with her cell phone.
“Immediately people pulled over,” she said. “They started running to the car, trying to get people out of the car. It was very chaotic.”
Good Samaritans are seen in the video breaking windows to get to the victims. Another man takes off his shirt to help a woman bleeding from her head.
Castro is still recovering from a hip injury at Jackson Memorial’s Ryder Trauma Center.
“As of now, he has been charged with a warrant that he had out for his arrest as well as drug-related charges,” noted Delva. “Now, the investigation is still ongoing, and we’re still working to determine what he’s going to be charged with as it pertains to the crash, so it still remains an open investigation, and he may be facing additional charges in regards to the crash.”
Castro faces a list of charges, and police said more are coming related to this crash that took the life of a mother.
“I hope he stays in prison forever, because he is a bad man,” said Miguel.
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