{"id":10697,"date":"2024-10-17T12:32:40","date_gmt":"2024-10-17T16:32:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/?p=10697"},"modified":"2024-10-17T12:42:27","modified_gmt":"2024-10-17T16:42:27","slug":"update-suspect-arrested-state-police-investigating-two-vehicle-fatal-crash-in-seaford","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/update-suspect-arrested-state-police-investigating-two-vehicle-fatal-crash-in-seaford\/","title":{"rendered":"*Update \u2013 Suspect Arrested* State Police Investigating Two-Vehicle Fatal Crash in Seaford"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Delaware State Police have arrested 24-year-old <strong>Luis Lucas-Mendez<\/strong> of Georgetown, Delaware for vehicular homicide, DUI, and related charges following a<a href=\"https:\/\/dsp.delaware.gov\/2024\/10\/06\/state-police-investigating-two-vehicle-fatal-crash-in-seaford\/\"> fatal crash<\/a> that left two people dead.<\/p>\n<p>On October 6, 2024, at approximately 01:34 a.m., a 2016 Nissan Rogue was traveling southbound on Sussex Highway in the left lane, south of Cannon Road. At the same time, a 2005 Honda Pilot was traveling northbound, also in the left southbound lane on Sussex Highway, into the Rogue\u2019s path of travel. As a result, the front of the Rogue struck the front of the Pilot in the left southbound lane of Sussex Highway.<\/p>\n<p>The driver of the Rogue, a 22-year-old man from Washington, D.C. and a back seat passenger, an 18-year-old woman from Bethesda, Maryland, were taken to an area hospital for critical injuries. Two other passengers, 22-year-old Eric Staley of Fayetteville, North Carolina and 18-year-old Makayla Belton of Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, were pronounced dead at the scene.<\/p>\n<p>The driver of the Pilot, Luis Lucas-Mendez, was taken to an area hospital with serious injuries. A passenger, a 40-year-old man from Georgetown, Delaware, was taken to an area hospital with critical injuries. The investigation revealed that Lucas-Mendez was driving under the influence at the time of the crash.<\/p>\n<p>On October 9, 2024, after being released from the hospital, Lucas-Mendez was arrested and taken to Troop 2. He was charged with the crimes listed below, arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court 3, and committed to Howard R. Young Correctional Institution on a $30,201 cash bond.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Vehicular Homicide 2<sup>nd<\/sup> Degree (Felony) \u2013 2 counts<\/li>\n<li>Reckless Endangering 1<sup>st<\/sup> Degree (Felony)<\/li>\n<li>Vehicular Assault 2<sup>nd<\/sup> Degree \u2013 3 counts<\/li>\n<li>Driving Under the Influence<\/li>\n<li>Driving without a Valid License<\/li>\n<li>Failure to have Insurance Identification in Possession<\/li>\n<li>Failure to Drive in Proper Lane and Direction<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The Delaware State Police Troop 7 Collision Reconstruction Unit continues to investigate this incident. Troopers are asking anyone who witnessed this crash to contact Master Corporal K. Argo by calling (302) 703-3264. Information may also be provided by sending a private Facebook message to the <a href=\"https:\/\/gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FDSPNewsroom&amp;data=05%7C01%7CIndia.Sturgis%40delaware.gov%7C3ddeaa5e3f214d95b9c308db70efa54f%7C8c09e56951c54deeabb28b99c32a4396%7C0%7C0%7C638227946793752994%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=fPQnTfW9%2BkrfzqWTTtnbM4tlk88QCJMgpkpdavwwNfM%3D&amp;reserved=0\"><strong>Delaware State Police<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0or contacting\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fdelaware.crimestoppersweb.com%2F&amp;data=05%7C01%7CIndia.Sturgis%40delaware.gov%7C3ddeaa5e3f214d95b9c308db70efa54f%7C8c09e56951c54deeabb28b99c32a4396%7C0%7C0%7C638227946793752994%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=gn6DFLFGB5je3K4Y3NZGLzbp9OAYKazGQsKePSVGHw8%3D&amp;reserved=0\"><strong>Delaware Crime Stoppers<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0at 1-800-847-3333.<\/p>\n<p>If you or someone you know is a victim or witness of a crime, or you have lost a loved one to a sudden death and need assistance, the Delaware State Police Victim Services Unit \/\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.delawarevictimservices.org%2F&amp;data=05%7C01%7Cleonard.demalto%40delaware.gov%7C2bee11abe15c48d5660008da256833e9%7C8c09e56951c54deeabb28b99c32a4396%7C0%7C0%7C637863426719941076%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=sBPTIxr0RP1IJakpL%2FRVWtGtaibYbRrcN9tki1ncOpU%3D&amp;reserved=0\"><strong>Delaware Victim Center<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0is available to offer you support and resources 24 hours a day through a toll-free hotline at 1-800-VICTIM-1 (1-800-842-8461). You may also email the Victim Services Unit at\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:DSP_VictimServicesMail@delaware.gov\"><strong>DSP_VictimServicesMail@delaware.gov<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/dsp.delaware.gov\/2024\/10\/17\/update-suspect-arrested-state-police-investigating-two-vehicle-fatal-crash-in-seaford\/\">*Update \u2013 Suspect Arrested* State Police Investigating Two-Vehicle Fatal Crash in Seaford<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/dsp.delaware.gov\">Delaware State Police &#8211; State of Delaware<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Delaware State Police have arrested 24-year-old Luis Lucas-Mendez of Georgetown, Delaware for vehicular homicide, DUI, and related charges following a fatal crash that left two people dead. On October 6, 2024, at approximately 01:34 a.m., a 2016 Nissan Rogue was traveling southbound on Sussex Highway in the left lane, south of Cannon Road. At the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":6236,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10697","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/cropped-dsp-favicon-96x96-1-32x32-1.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-2Mx","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10474,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/state-police-investigating-two-vehicle-fatal-crash-in-seaford\/","url_meta":{"origin":10697,"position":0},"title":"State Police Investigating Two-Vehicle Fatal Crash in Seaford","author":"davidhuynh","date":"October 6, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The Delaware State Police are investigating a two-vehicle fatal crash that occurred early Sunday morning in Seaford that left a man and a woman dead. On October 6, 2024, at approximately 01:34 a.m., a 2016 Nissan Rogue was traveling southbound on Sussex Highway in the left lane, south of Cannon\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2192,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/police-investigate-fatal-pedestrian-crash-in-felton\/","url_meta":{"origin":10697,"position":1},"title":"Police investigate fatal pedestrian crash in Felton","author":"admin","date":"January 6, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Delaware State Police are investigating a fatal pedestrian crash in Felton. According to Delaware State Police, the incident occurred shortly after 11 p.m., Wednesday as a 2011 Nissan Rogue was traveling southbound on South DuPont Highway in the left lane, just north of Peach Basket Road. At the same time,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Emergency-Lights.png?fit=1114%2C565&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Emergency-Lights.png?fit=1114%2C565&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Emergency-Lights.png?fit=1114%2C565&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Emergency-Lights.png?fit=1114%2C565&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Emergency-Lights.png?fit=1114%2C565&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4232,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/victim-identified-delaware-state-police-investigating-fatal-pedestrian-crash\/","url_meta":{"origin":10697,"position":2},"title":"Victim Identified* Delaware State Police Investigating Fatal Pedestrian Crash","author":"Admin","date":"July 25, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"UPDATE: Delaware State Police have identified the victim who died during a fatal pedestrian crash that occurred on July 24, 2022, in the Dewey Beach area as\u00a0Sidney Wolf, 43, of Clarksburg, Maryland. Delaware State Police are investigating a fatal pedestrian crash that occurred early Sunday morning on southbound Coastal Highway\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/FATAL-CRASH.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/FATAL-CRASH.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/FATAL-CRASH.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/FATAL-CRASH.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/FATAL-CRASH.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5709,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/state-police-investigating-fatal-bicycle-crash-in-bethany\/","url_meta":{"origin":10697,"position":3},"title":"State Police Investigating Fatal Bicycle Crash in Bethany","author":"Admin","date":"October 7, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Delaware State Police are investigating a fatal crash involving a bicyclist in Bethany on Tuesday morning. On October 3, 2023, at approximately 10:47 a.m., a bicyclist was traveling southbound on the southbound shoulder of Coastal Highway just south of the Indian River Inlet Bridge. A 2020 Lexus was traveling southbound\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/image_2023-10-07_134559611.png?fit=1200%2C639&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/image_2023-10-07_134559611.png?fit=1200%2C639&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/image_2023-10-07_134559611.png?fit=1200%2C639&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/image_2023-10-07_134559611.png?fit=1200%2C639&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/image_2023-10-07_134559611.png?fit=1200%2C639&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":19558,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/state-police-investigating-fatal-pedestrian-crash-in-seaford\/","url_meta":{"origin":10697,"position":4},"title":"State Police Investigating Fatal Pedestrian Crash in Seaford","author":"davidhuynh","date":"December 3, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Delaware State Police are investigating a fatal pedestrian crash that occurred Tuesday night in Seaford. On December 2, 2025, at approximately 10:10 p.m., a Toyota 4Runner was traveling in the [\u2026] The post State Police Investigating Fatal Pedestrian Crash in Seaford appeared first on Delaware State Police - State of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9413,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/troop-7-collision-reconstruction-unit-investigating-fatal-two-vehicle-crash-in-bridgeville\/","url_meta":{"origin":10697,"position":5},"title":"Troop 7 Collision Reconstruction Unit Investigating Fatal Two-Vehicle Crash in Bridgeville","author":"aminaali","date":"July 19, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The Delaware State Police continues to investigate a Bridgeville area crash that occurred early Wednesday morning after 22-year-old Djifenson Dorilus of Salisbury, Maryland, died from injuries sustained in the crash. On July 17, 2024, at approximately 12:59 a.m., a 2017 Dodge Durango was traveling in a northbound lane of Sussex\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10697","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10697"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10697\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10698,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10697\/revisions\/10698"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6236"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10697"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10697"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}