A 33-year-old Turlock man who was arrested for drunk driving in Ceres in 2024 was arrested for causing a fatal accident in Delhi on Thursday.

The crash occurred on Sycamore Street north of Bloss Avenue and was reported to the California Highway Patrol at 9:47 a.m. Thursday. Passenger Faye Benziger, 83, of Delhi died of her injuries sustained in the crash. Her husband Leonard Benziger, 84, was seriously injured and suffered broken ribs.

The CHP said Jose Perez Hernandez was speeding southbound on Sycamore Street in an Audi at the same time Benziger was northbound on Sycamore Street with his wife. Hernandez then steered into the oncoming lane and hit the Benzigers’ SUV vehicle head-on. Hernandez ran from the crash toward Augusta but was found and arrested in a nearby orchard.

The passenger succumbed to her injuries at the hospital.

CHP officers determined that Hernandez was under the influence of alcohol. He was arrested on charges of suspicion of DUI and booked into Merced County Jail for felony DUI and felony hit-and-run.

In February 2024 Ceres Police arrested Hernandez after a DUI crash on Hatch Road, where he fled on foot into Voyagers Cove Mobile Home Park. At the time Hernandez’s breath sample showed that he was nearly four times the legal limit of alcohol to drive. He also had given the officer a fake name. During his 2024 Ceres arrest, Hernandez was on probation and wanted on a felony warrant for assault.