Stolen Oregon Fireworks May be Connected to Fatal Crash in California

Two Salem residents are in jail after their truck, loaded with what police describe as stolen fireworks, struck a small car head-on killing two people in California's Central Valley.

Officers from the Coalinga CHP office are working with Oregon investigators on the case Photo Courtesy: Coalinga Chamber of Commerce

(COALINGA, Ca.) - The California Highway Patrol says a truck from Salem carrying fireworks that they believe are stolen, was involved in a crash on Interstate-5 in California's Central Valley that killed two people. It happened Monday at 1:25 PM.

Police say the driver of the truck, 18-year old Javier Silva Acosta of Salem, apparently fell asleep before losing control and striking the small car head-on.

California Highway Patrol Officer Joseph Miller told Salem-News.com that both men in the truck carrying fireworks fled the scene on foot after the crash heading northbound, but they were stopped by witnesses.

The second person in the truck, 26-year old Orlando Magana of Salem, was also arrested. Charges on both men are pending.

Investigators believe the fireworks originated from a storage facility, American Promotional Events in Clackamas, Oregon, where they were stolen several days ago.

The firework thieves raided a semi trailer at the fireworks vendor in Clackamas. The truck that police say made the apparent initial haul was discovered abandoned by a property owner in Salem on Sunday morning.

Miller says a pair of Budget rental box trucks were spotted traveling together on Interstate-5 when one of the drivers crossed a median and struck a Honda Prelude, killing two both occupants who were residents of Fairfield, California.

It has not been confirmed at this point that the fireworks are connected with the Oregon storage facility theft, but CHP Officer Joseph Miller says the trucks had Oregon plates, "We don't know for sure, but it seems to match up. They will keep looking into it, and we are working with the authorities up in Oregon as well."

312 cases of stolen fireworks were inside the crashed truck, according to Miller. He says the two Salem men admitted that the fireworks were stolen, and that there was another truck still on the road. "The California Highway patrol put out a Be on the lookout for that rental truck. Soon afterward a Buttonwillow unit stopped the other rental truck."

He says further investigation led to the discovery of more stolen fireworks. The driver and passenger in the second truck were arrested and taken into custody.

Related Article: salem-news.com/articles/june122006/Stolen_Trucks_61206.php