Man Gets Probation in Fatal DUI Case
On November 5, 2023, a vehicle driven by Jordan Lopez, then 24, crashed into a minivan along Clairemont Mesa Boulevard in San Diego. Police arrested Lopez at the scene on suspicion of driving under the influence. The two vehicles, including the minivan, were towed.
A month later, a worker at the tow yard contacted police after noticing an odor emanating from the minivan. Inside, they found the body of 65-year-old Monica Cameroni de Adams, who had been homeless and living in her vehicle for several years.
Last Wednesday, Lopez was sentenced to probation. A six-year prison sentence was suspended for five years, and he was ordered to complete a work furlough program, after pleading guilty to DUI causing injury and having a blood-alcohol content over 0.15%.
Lopez could face a murder charge if he violates his probation. “I will not squander the opportunity,” Lopez said to San Diego Superior Court Judge Dwane K. Moring. He also apologized to the victim’s children, who attended the hearing via video conference.
Family Plans to Sue City for Negligence
The sentencing comes as the children of Cameroni de Adams prepare a lawsuit against the city, claiming negligence for failing to find their mother immediately after the crash.
In a claim filed last November, the family alleged officers “failed to look inside” the vehicle to find Cameroni de Adams, who had “sustained severe but survivable blunt force injuries from the collision that required medical attention and care.”
The city rejected the claim, but attorney Carlos Hernandez said a lawsuit would be filed within six months of the rejection.
According to the claim, Cameroni de Adams’ daughter filed a missing persons report on November 14, 2023, after her mother didn’t respond to birthday messages. Her daughter had also searched for the van before filing the report.
On December 6, over a month after the crash, a worker contacted law enforcement after noticing a smell from the van. Cameroni de Adams was found “under miscellaneous items in the vehicle’s middle row,” according to the medical examiner’s report.
The medical examiner ruled the cause of death multiple blunt-force injuries, including rib and spine fractures, and the manner of death an accident.
The claim alleges negligence and reckless conduct by the San Diego police officers, who allegedly left the injured woman trapped in the vehicle. “The most basic review of a vehicle should include checking for occupants,” attorney John C. Carpenter said in a statement. “Instead, they towed the van away, essentially burying Monica alive.”
The San Diego City Attorney’s Office and the San Diego Police Department declined to comment, citing pending litigation.
