Teen arrested in connection with Arizona crash that killed 5, police say

PEORIA, Ariz. (3TV/CBS 5/Gray News) - Peoria police have arrested a teenage boy accused of causing a crash that killed five people, including three kids, several months ago.

Investigators found the 17-year-old just before 7 a.m. on Thursday. He was taken into custody and booked on five counts of second-degree murder.

Police say the collision happened on Nov. 20, 2022, near 107th Avenue and Deer Valley Road.

Elizabeth Simpson and her fiancé, Jace Hochstetler, were driving home from a “friendsgiving” with their four kids in the backseat.

The family was trying to turn left when the teen driving a Jeep SUV slammed into their van, police said.

Simpson and Hochstetler died at the scene. All four kids were hospitalized, but three later died.

Police believe the teen was speeding and impaired at the time of the crash. He hasn’t been identified.

Copyright 2023 KTVK/KPHO via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.