One Dead, Two Injured After Crash Involving About 16 Vehicles in Norwalk

CAR CARNAGE: Sheriff’s Captain told LCCN speed may have been a factor, but investigators have found no evidence the crash involved street racing.

September 1, 2026

By Vincent Medina

NORWALK — A man was killed and two women were injured early Tuesday in a massive crash on Rosecrans Avenue that involved five moving vehicles and approximately 10 or 11 parked cars, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

The crash occurred around 1 a.m. on Rosecrans Avenue between Studebaker Road and Pioneer Boulevard. Deputies closed Rosecrans between Harvest and Crosdale avenues, just south of Norwalk High School, while investigators examined the scene.

Norwalk Sheriff’s Station Capt. Omar Camacho said preliminary information indicated that one vehicle initially overturned and may have struck several parked vehicles, triggering a chain-reaction crash involving the other vehicles.

“It appears the first vehicle might have struck multiple parked vehicles, which then caused a chain reaction for the other vehicles to be involved in the traffic collision,” Camacho said.

Approximately 16 vehicles were involved altogether, Camacho said.

The man killed in the crash was an adult, but authorities had not released his name. Two adult women suffered minor injuries. One was transported to a hospital, while the other left on her own.

No arrests had been made.

Camacho said investigators had not yet determined who was driving each vehicle or exactly how the crash unfolded.

Early reports described the collision as possibly involving street racing, but Camacho cautioned against drawing that conclusion.

“I just want to clarify that there was possible information that this was a street racing incident, and there’s no evidence of that at this time,” he said. “Speed may be a factor, but we can’t determine.”

Investigators also had not determined whether alcohol or drugs played a role.

Camacho said deputies received no calls or other information indicating that a street takeover was occurring at the time of the crash, although deputies have previously responded to complaints about speeding along that stretch of Rosecrans.

Residents described being jolted awake by the crash shortly before 1 a.m.

Israel Alarcon, who lives along Rosecrans with his parents and brothers, said both his car and his father’s car were among the parked vehicles struck.

“We came out here and the crash had already happened, and then there were a bunch of cars that had been hit,” Alarcon said.

Alarcon said he encountered a woman who appeared to have been driving one of the vehicles and was screaming that her friend had been hurt.

“She just said, ‘I don’t know what happened,’” Alarcon recalled. “‘They crashed and then I was behind them.’”

Alarcon said he did not know whether any of the drivers had been racing.

Another neighbor said he ran toward a man who apparently had been thrown from a vehicle, stepping over broken glass in the darkness. Someone already beside the victim indicated that the man had died. The neighbor asked not to be identified.

Bryan Arellanes, who also lives along the stretch of Rosecrans where the crash occurred, said his father’s truck was badly damaged.

“If you see my dad’s truck, the whole front wheel is caved in,” Arellanes said. “It’s just crazy, honestly.”

The roadway remained closed for hours as investigators photographed and documented the wreckage and waited for the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.

Camacho said investigators would review doorbell cameras and other available recordings as they work to determine what caused the crash.

“I want to give you guys factual information,” Camacho said. “That’s really what we have right now.”.