A 19-year-old woman was killed the night of Thursday, September 10, 2026, when the SUV she was riding in went off Highway 168 near Littlefield Road and plunged nearly 60 feet down an embankment between Shaver Lake and Cressman’s in Fresno County. Arianna Perez, a backseat passenger who was not wearing a seatbelt, was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. Another passenger, who was belted, suffered major injuries and was hospitalized. The driver, 32-year-old Ricardo Arceo-Tapia of Fresno, was arrested on suspicion of felony DUI.
According to ABC30 Fresno, Arceo-Tapia was already on probation for a separate DUI conviction he had received less than a month before the crash. He appeared in court on September 23, 2026, but his arraignment was postponed until October 7 while he seeks private legal counsel. The California Highway Patrol continues to investigate the crash. Perez’s family says they are demanding accountability as the case moves forward.
