18-year-old charged in crash that killed Fort Worth teen near grandparents’ home
For months, it had been quite a struggle for Julian Muzquiz and his family.
His father, Roland Muzquiz, contracted COVID-19, and he was also battling cholangiocarcinoma, or bile duct cancer, for more than a year. That left him unable to work, according to a GoFundMe page for the family.
Some good news arrived in December. Roland Muzquiz was released from a hospital in late December and the Muzquiz family celebrated Julian Muzquiz’s 18th birthday on Dec. 23.
But on Saturday, just seconds after the 18-year-old left his grandparents’ home in north Fort Worth, Julian’s car was hit by another car which Fort Worth police say was speeding on East Long Avenue.
According to the family’s GoFundMe account, two vehicles were racing on Long Avenue and one of those cars hit Julian Muzquiz’s vehicle. Police have not confirmed whether racing was involved in the accident.
On impact, Julian Muzquiz’s car caught fire, killing the Fort Worth teen.
Another 18-year-old accused of driving the speeding car that hit Julian Muzquiz’s vehicle faces a manslaughter charge in the case, according to Fort Worth jail records.
“The tragic passing of Julian was added sorrow my family has had to endure,” Noemi Muzquiz, Julian’s aunt, wrote on the GoFundMe page she created to help the family with funeral costs. As of Tuesday, more than $9,000 had been raised for the family.
Jail records identified the suspect as Oscar Gomez, 18, of Fort Worth. Gomez suffered minor injuries in the crash and was booked into jail early Sunday.
Gomez has since been released, but his bond information was not available on Tuesday.
No other arrests have been reported as of Tuesday.
The crash occurred about 11 p.m. Saturday at East Long Avenue and North Pecan Street in north Fort Worth.
A DFW Scanner report, citing witnesses, said two vehicles were racing on Long Avenue when one of the vehicles collided with another car that was not involved in the high-speed race. That other car was driven by Julian Muzquiz.
A petition was started over the weekend to urge Fort Worth city officials to improve roads and traffic signals to curb the number of accidents in north Fort Worth. As of Tuesday, more than 2,400 residents had signed the petition, according to change.org.
This story was originally published January 5, 2021 at 11:55 AM.
