Man jailed after cars collide and victim dies, on NE Halsey Street

This is the fatal crash investigation that closed down a major outer East Portland thoroughfare on Monday morning, in the Gateway district …

Before the sun rises, NE Halsey Street is already closed down, as Portland Police Bureau officers congregate to investigate a fatal crash.

By David F. Ashton

About 45 minutes before sunrise on Monday morning, October 28, two vehicles smashed together on NE Halsey Street at 118th Avenue in the Hazelwood neighborhood.

Portland Police Bureau (PPB) East Precinct officers, who were dispatched to the crash at 6:56 a.m., found two badly damaged vehicles.

Through these utility poles, from blocks away, is visible the 2007 Dodge Caliber, smashed in on the passenger’s side, where it skidded to a stop after the collision.

One person was pronounced dead at the scene; a second person was taken by ambulance to a local hospital for treatment.

The PPB’s Major Crash Team was called out to investigate the collision, shutting down NE Halsey Street from 117th to NE 122nd Avenues. The PPB’s Traffic Investigations Unit determined that the driver of a 2009 Acura TSX was traveling eastbound on NE Halsey Street approaching 118th Avenue.

Now just before sunrise, officers investigate this fatal crash.

“The driver of a 2007 Dodge Caliber was making a southbound (left) turn onto 118th Avenue from westbound Halsey Street when the Acura hit the passenger side of the Dodge,” a PPB spokesperson told reporters. “Excessive speed is believed to be a contributing factor in the crash.”

After being medically cleared, the Acura’s driver – 21-year-old Manuel Dejesus Espana Torres, of Portland – was booked into Multnomah County Detention Center (MCDC) at 11:28 a.m. on charges of Manslaughter in the Second Degree, Criminally Negligent Homicide, and Reckless Driving.

Currently, Espana Torres is lodged in Inverness Jail in lieu of $150,000 bail.

Members of the PPB Major Crash Team gather evidence at this crash scene.

The following day, Portland Police revealed that 51-year-old Zachary D. Fine – who was a passenger in the Dodge – was the deceased victim in this incident, which is under investigation. If you have information about this crash and have not already spoken to police, e-mail it to crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov, attn: Traffic Investigations Unit, and reference Case No. 24-276254.

This is the 56th traffic related fatality in the City of Portland during 2024 – again pushing back the objectives of the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s Vision Zero program.

Some images courtesy of KGW-TV 8 NEWS

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