Suspect in Fresno hit-and-run that killed mother, son turns in

A 22-year-old man turned himself in late Monday, nearly 24 hours after a central Fresno crash that killed Martha Hernandez and her 9-year-old son, Adrian, and sent their SUV into the Dry Creek Canal near McKinley Avenue and Highway 41.

Investigators said a Honda Pilot ran a red light about 2 a.m. Monday, April 6, and slammed into Hernandez’s SUV, pushing it into the canal. Fresno Fire Chief Billy Alcorn said crews pulled Martha Hernandez from the vehicle and tried lifesaving measures, but she died at the hospital. Adrian was not found until hours later, about two miles downstream in the canal system.

Police said a witness reported the driver appeared intoxicated. Surveillance video from a nearby carwash captured the crash, giving investigators a clearer picture of the violent collision that left one of Fresno’s busiest corridors marked by flowers, candles and questions about how the tragedy unfolded.

The suspect was identified as Timothy Seth Chavez. He was reportedly medically cleared at Community Regional Medical Center before being booked, and reports said he faced possible charges including vehicular manslaughter or gross vehicular manslaughter, felony hit-and-run, driving on a suspended license and driving without insurance. One report said bail was set at $81,301. As of Tuesday afternoon, the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office had not yet received the case from police, and prosecutors had until Thursday to file charges.

The crash has deepened anger over hit-and-run enforcement and safety along Fresno streets where high speeds, red-light running and canal-side roadways can turn a collision into a fatal fall. Hernandez, 41, was remembered as a warm nail technician known to many clients as “Miss Patty” at Chosen Salon in Old Town Clovis, where family and friends held a vigil Tuesday night. Loved ones described her as faithful and devoted to her sons.

Adrian, 9, attended Tarpey Elementary and was remembered as a bright, kind student. Hernandez’s older son, Michael, is a high school senior who is now set to graduate without his mother. Family members said the pair had been returning home from an Easter celebration when the crash happened, adding another layer of grief to a case that has already become a painful reminder of how quickly reckless driving can shatter two lives and leave a community demanding accountability.