Las Cruces Police are continuing to investigate an early-morning motorcycle crash that claimed the life of a 25-year-old man who crashed into a friend’s vehicle at a high rate of speed.
Wayne Andrew “Drew” Jaramillo was pronounced dead shortly after the crash that occurred at approximately 12:50 a.m. in front of his home, at the intersection of Solano Drive and Kansas Avenue. Traffic investigators believe speed and alcohol may be contributing factors in the crash.
Witnesses told traffic investigators that Jaramillo and friends were leaving a local restaurant and traveling eastbound on Lohman Avenue. Witnesses said that Jaramillo, who was wearing a helmet, was performing stunts on his 2005 Kawasaki while he traveled east on Lohman.
Traffic investigators learned that Jaramillo traveled east on Lohman, turned south at Lujan Street and then west on Kansas Avenue. At the intersection of Kansas and Solano, Jaramillo continued through a posted stop sign at a high rate of speed and crashed into a 2003 Chevrolet Colorado pickup driven by his friend, 25-year-old Corey Gillespie, who was headed to Jaramillo’s residence.
After colliding with the pickup, Jaramillo and the motorcycle travelled more than 100 feet striking a fence and tree. Jaramillo was initially treated at the scene and then transported to Mountain View Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
Gillespie was arrested for driving on a suspended or revoked license, a misdemeanor, and booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center with bond set at $750.
Preliminary information from the investigation leads traffic investigators to believe that Jaramillo spotted a marked Las Cruces Police unit on Lohman Avenue and for some reason accelerated at a high rate of speed while driving home. Las Cruces Police officers saw the motorcycle on Lohman but quickly lost sight of it. Officers were attempting to locate the motorcycle when they rolled up on the scene of the crash.