Irvine: Driver, Passenger & Dog Killed In Fiery Crash Caused by Speeding DUI Driver

07.17.2022 | 8:05 PM | IRVINE -Two people and their dog died in a fiery crash caused by a driver who was later arrested on suspicion of DUI, Sunday night.

The deadly collision was reported near the intersection of Spring Valley and Meadow Valley in the gated Northpark neighborhood around 8:05 PM.

When authorities arrived on scene they located a Mini Cooper engulfed in flames along with a grey Volkswagen Golf with major front-end damage just north of the intersection.

Firefighters quickly extinguished the car fire but later located a driver, passenger, and dog deceased inside.

The driver of the Golf, later identified as 20-year-old Jack Varganagl, was treated by medics at the scene before being rushed to UCI Medical Center where he was subsequently arrested for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

The Golf was traveling northbound on Spring Valley at high-speeds when it rear-ended the Mini Cooper at Meadow Valley causing to collide with a parked vehicle and eventually ignite into flames, witnesses said.

Both drugs and speed were believed to be factors in the deadly but the incident remains under investigation, police said.

Coroner officials are working with police to identity the deceased and notify their next-of-kin.

Anyone with information, including videos or photos, of the crash are asked to contact Detective Roberto Solid at (949) 724-7024 or rsolis@cityofirvine.org.

A police watch commander refused to provide additional details regarding the incident and police spokespersons did not respond to multiple requests for information.

Miles Madison

Miles started reporting breaking news in 2015 and has been providing high-quality news video and timely reports from the Orange County area ever since. Combining his experience as a seasoned photojournalist, radio operator and sleuth, Miles provides unrivaled multimedia news reports.