Toddler identified as third person killed in Stratford fatal crash on Merritt Parkway

STRATFORD — The third victim who died in a fiery hit-and-run crash on Sunday morning on the Merritt Parkway has been identified as a toddler, according to Connecticut State Police. Yanelet DePaz, who was 1 year and 9 months old, died along with Maria E. Vasquez Chacon, 29, of Trenton, N.J., and Joselyn Vasquez-Chacon, 25, in the crash, state police said. The crash occurred in the early morning hours on Sunday on Route 15 south in Stratford. State police were called to the area near Exit 36 around 4:50 a.m., according to an incident report from the agency. The report indicates a 2012 Chrysler 200, followed by a 2008 Honda Civic and a 2014 Lexus ES350 were traveling in the rightmost lane. The Lexus hit the back of the Honda, which then hit the Chrysler, and a fire started, according to police. All three occupants of the Honda — the driver, identified as Maria Vasquez Chacon, and her two passengers, Joselyn Vasquez-Chacon in the front seat and Yanelet in the back seat — were pronounced dead at the scene, police said. The driver of the Lexus fled the scene, police said. The driver has not been identified, though police identified the car’s registered owner. The driver of the Chrysler, a 24-year-old man from Trenton, N.J., was not injured. The drivers of the Chrysler and the Honda were related, police noted. Investigators from the Collision Analysis and Reconstruction and Western District Major Crime squads responded to the scene and are investigating the crash. Anyone who witnessed the crash or has information is asked to contact Trooper Drew Smith at [email protected] or Troop G in Bridgeport at 203-696-2500.