The preliminary investigation indicated that a white Honda Civic, operated by Alejandro Christopher Velazquez Lopez (34) of Tillamook, was traveling eastbound on Highway 18 near milepost 14. The Honda left the travel lane and entered the eastbound shoulder, where a black Nissan Altima with a flat tire was parked. Three 17-year-old males were outside the Nissan, changing the flat tire, when the Honda left the roadway and struck all three juveniles. The Honda did not stop and continued driving eastbound on the highway.
All three male juveniles were transported to area hospitals with serious injuries. A 17-year-old female passenger was inside the Nissan at the time of the crash and was not injured.
OSP Major Crime Section detectives were immediately called to investigate and locate the operator of the Honda.
On July 14, 2025, OSP investigators were notified that one of the 17-year-old males died as a result of injuries sustained during the crash.
The operator of the Honda (Lopez) is believed to have left the country and there is an active warrant for his arrest.
The highway was impacted for approximately 11.5 hours during the on-scene investigation.
OSP was assisted by the Tillamook County Sheriff’s Office, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Lincoln City Police Department, Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Tribal Police, and the Oregon Department of Transportation.
About the Oregon State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit (CRU)
The Oregon State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit (CRU) is a specialized unit responsible for investigating fatal and critical injury collisions on Oregon’s highways. The team provides expertise in documenting, investigating, and analyzing complex motor vehicle crashes and crime scenes. They receive specialized training in using advanced measuring techniques and small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) for on-scene investigations. The CRU team includes ACTAR-accredited collision reconstructionists and technical collision investigators deployed across the state.