Tesla drove 142 mph before crash that killed mom and toddler on California highway: DA

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) --  A Tesla driver was arrested and charged with murder this week after a mother and her baby died in a fiery crash on Highway 87 in San Jose. The Tesla driver, 31-year-old Zachary Chernicky of San Jose, was allegedly driving 142 mph seconds before he caused the deadly collision, according to prosecutors and the California Highway Patrol. Two of the vehicles tangled in the four-car collision were Teslas that burst into flames on the busy highway on December 2, 2025, the CHP said. Ivana Balistreri, 30, and her 2-year-old toddler, Lilliana, were passengers in a Lexus that also caught fire, according to family and investigators. The mother and toddler died, while the Lexus driver was hospitalized. A lengthy investigation revealed that Chernicky was driving 142 mph 15 seconds before the crash, 126 mph 5 seconds before the crash, and 102 when he plowed into the back of the Lexus, prosecutors said Friday. The victims' Lexus was stopped in heavy traffic on Highway 87 near Curtner Avenue when Chernicky's speeding Tesla plowed into the back of it. Balistreri and her baby "were burned to death in the crash," the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office wrote. Chernicky suffered minor injuries. "He struck the victim’s car so hard that both the victim’s car and the car in front of them suffered major fire and crash damage," the DA's office wrote. CHP officers conducted a months-long investigation to determine which driver caused the wreck. CHP officials wrote, "After a thorough investigation, the driver of one of the Tesla’s, Zachary Chernicky from San Jose, was determined to be at fault for this crash. A warrant for Chernicky’s arrest was issued, and on Monday, July 13, 2026, officers from the San Jose CHP office arrested Chernicky." "The law says that it is murder when someone shoots into a crowd," District Attorney Jeff Rosen said. "When someone is driving 140 mph, then the driver is the shooter and their car is the bullet." The speed limit on Highway 87 is 65 mph. A GoFundMe page created by the deceased mother’s family states, "Our hearts were shattered when Ivana Balistreri and her beautiful baby girl, Lilliana, were tragically killed in the Highway 87. Losing them has destroyed our family." "Ivana was truly one of the purest spirits we have ever known. She never judged, never gossiped, and loved everyone around her with her whole heart. To lose someone so young, so pure, and so unbelievably special feels unbearably unfair. Baby Lilliana -- our sweet Lilly Bean -- brought so much joy in her short time here. Her smile, her sweetness, and her light will stay with us forever," the page states. Prosecutors charged Chernicky with two counts of murder. If convicted, he will face "significant prison time," the DA's office wrote. Chernicky was arraigned in court Tuesday and remanded to jail without bail. A judge ordered the Tesla driver to return to court in the Hall of Justice on August 25.