Street race preceded north Merced crash that killed 67-year-old woman, police say

Merced police say they have located a second vehicle believed to be involved in a street race prior to a fatal collision reported Wednesday on M Street near Buena Vista Drive.

Meanwhile, the victim has been identified as 67-year-old Frances Palm of Merced. Police say she was driving a car that was not involved in the street race between two other vehicles.

The collision occurred around 1:35 p.m. Wednesday, and that section of M Street was closed for several hours after the crash.

Police believe Palm was attempting to drive east on Buena Vista Drive across the southbound lanes of M Street in a Nissan Altima. Police said a 25-year-old man driving a 2017 Chevrolet Camaro south on M Street, collided with the driver side of her Nissan.

Palm was pinned inside the vehicle and was freed by emergency responders. Life-saving measure were attempted but she died at the scene. A youth who was a passenger in the Nissan wasn’t injured.

Police obtained video surveillance from a nearby residence that showed the Chevrolet and a BMW involved in an apparent race prior to the collision, according to Merced police Sgt. Nathan McKinnon.

Around 10:30 a.m. Thursday an officer following up on information from the video, located a vehicle of interest traveling on Highway 99 away from the city.

The officer stopped a 2011 BMW 335i driven by a 21-year-old man with a passenger on Highway 99 at Sultana Drive for a mechanical violation. McKinnon said police developed information leading them to believe the BMW may have been the vehicle captured on surveillance video.

Police seized the vehicle and are continuing to investigate the deadly collision. The names of the other drivers haven’t been released and no arrests have been made in connection with the crash, according to police.

“We have been able to confirm they were involved in a race prior to the collision,” McKinnon said. “Determining how close to the collision is still under investigation.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Officer Jeff Gonzales at gonzalesj@cityofmerced.org. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling 209-385-4725.

This story was originally published October 27, 2022 at 4:38 PM.