A 31-year-old San Jose man described as a Silicon Valley tech executive faces murder charges after allegedly driving his Tesla more than 140 mph on Highway 87, slamming into stopped traffic and causing a fiery multi-vehicle crash that killed a young mother and her toddler daughter last December.

Zachary Chernicky was arrested on July 13, 2026, nearly seven months after the December 2, 2025, crash near Curtner Avenue in San Jose. According to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office and California Highway Patrol data, Chernicky’s Tesla was traveling at 142 mph 15 seconds before impact, 126 mph five seconds prior, and still 102 mph at the moment of collision—far exceeding the 65 mph speed limit.

The impact pushed a Lexus (carrying 29-year-old Ivana Balistreri in the front passenger seat, her 23-month-old daughter Lilliana in a child safety seat in the back, and the child’s father driving) into another vehicle. Both Teslas and the Lexus caught fire. Ivana and Lilliana, who was just two weeks shy of her second birthday, were trapped and died in the flames. The Lexus driver was hospitalized. Chernicky’s vehicle and others were heavily damaged.

Bystanders, including the father, desperately tried to rescue the mother and child from the burning Lexus as thick smoke filled the air. Chernicky was arraigned and remanded to jail without bail. He faces two counts of murder and is scheduled to return to court on August 25, 2026.

Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen and Deputy DA Marisa McKeown emphasized the recklessness: “When someone is driving 140 mph, then the driver is the shooter and their car is the bullet.” McKeown added that headlines blaming the Tesla miss the point—the crash resulted from excessive speed, not the vehicle itself.

The victims’ family has expressed profound grief. A GoFundMe was established to support funeral expenses and the surviving family members. Chernicky, who worked in the tech sector, remains in custody as the investigation continues.

Sources

• Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office