SEASIDE — A 25-year-old Pacific Grove man was arrested Wednesday night for allegedly causing a fatal car crash on Highway 1 near Marina.
Stewart Maxwell Napier was charged with driving under the influence of drugs and vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. He was booked into Monterey County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail, jail records showed.
NAPIER
According to CHP Officer Jessica Madueño, Napier was driving a 2002 GMC Sierra on northbound Highway 1 at about 5:25 p.m. when he hit a 1999 Geo Tracker from behind.
The impact caused the Tracker to burst into flames, and to rear-end a Jeep Patriot.
Witnesses attempted to break the windows of the tracker and rescue the victim, but the vehicle became fully engulfed in flames within seconds, Madueño said.
The occupants of the Jeep did not suffer any injuries.
The northbound lanes of Highway 1 were closed for about 3 hours during the investigation, and traffic was diverted to Lightfighter Drive.
The incident is still under investigation.
