MALIBU—On July 16, at about 12:45 a.m., a man was driving a 1995 Saturn going southbound in the northbound lane on Pacific Coast Highway, near Zumirez Drive. Based on the skid marks left behind by the vehicle, authorities believe that the driver must have been going 90 mph when he rammed head-on into a red 2000 Ford Mustang that was traveling at about 65 mph; both drivers were consequently killed.
The driver of the red Mustang, 23-year-old Oscar Mendoza, was originally from Northridge. The passenger, 24-year-old Jesus Saenz, was in critical condition when he was hospitalized with a broken leg and arms at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. Both were members of the Navy and were staying in the Port Hueneme Navy base.
According to Sgt. Philip Brooks, the driver of the Saturn, Jason Sorg, was originally from Roseville, Minn., and was said to have had a problem with alcohol as he had recently lost his brother. They are investigating if the crash was indeed a suicide attempt. After about seven hours, traffic was once again re-opened on all lanes of Pacific Coast Highway.
As stated on the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department website, Jason Sorg was in California trying to get into the entertainment industry, but had not found success. Mendoza was on his way back from picking up Saenz from LAX.
Eyewitnesses called police minutes after they had almost become the victims of a head-on collision with the same Saturn driver. They reported that he was driving on the wrong side of the road facing oncoming traffic.
The crash is still waiting further investigation along with the results of Jason Sorg’s toxicology report.
When Canyon News asked Senior Media Relations Officer Elaine Schmidt about the condition of the victim, Jesus Saenz, she said, “At the patient’s request, we are not releasing any information about his condition.”
The Malibu Station is asking any person who might have witnessed the incident to please contact Traffic Investigator Barnard at 818-878-5559. There’s also an option if you prefer to provide information anonymously by calling “Crime Stoppers” at 800-222-TIPS (8477), texting the letters TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or using the website lacrimestoppers.org.