Farmington Driver Dies After Hit-and-Run on Highway 550, Suspect Charged

Crescencio Castro Baldazo, 34, was arrested and charged with homicide by vehicle after New Mexico State Police say he struck and overturned a commercial truck on NM-550 near milepost 106, killing Farmington resident Jasper Bunny, 55, before attempting to flee the scene.

Bunny, who was operating a 2022 GMC 2500, was airlifted to a hospital following the March 29 crash but died from his injuries. The collision on NM-550, the major corridor connecting Rio Arriba County to the Four Corners region, drew bystanders and an off-duty Texas police officer who had witnessed the impact firsthand.

Rather than remain at the scene, the driver of the second vehicle fled. Bystanders moved to prevent the suspect from escaping while the off-duty Texas officer rendered aid to Bunny and provided investigators with critical eyewitness information. State police located Castro Baldazo approximately three miles away near milepost 103 and took him into custody. He was booked into the Rio Arriba Detention Center on five charges: homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident resulting in great bodily harm or death, failure to maintain a traffic lane, careless driving, and open container.

Investigators say a warning reached law enforcement before the crash even occurred. Bunny's employer had contacted police to report concern that a possibly-impaired employee was operating a company vehicle and heading toward Farmington, a tip that preceded the discovery of the overturned GMC on NM-550.

The charges Castro Baldazo faces carry severe penalties under New Mexico law. Homicide by vehicle while under the influence is a third-degree felony; leaving the scene of a fatal crash compounds the exposure significantly. New Mexico State Police have not released a timetable for when the case may be transferred to district court or whether additional charges are forthcoming. Forensic toxicology results and family notifications remain part of the active investigation.

NM-550 runs through some of the most sparsely patrolled stretches in northwestern New Mexico, and commercial-vehicle crashes on the corridor carry elevated risk because of vehicle mass and the potential for fire or multi-vehicle involvement. Comprehensive crash-frequency data for this specific milepost range was not immediately available from state police, but suspected impaired driving on major regional arteries has been a persistent enforcement concern across San Juan and Rio Arriba counties heading into 2026.

Anyone with information about the March 29 crash can contact the New Mexico State Police at 505-827-9191.