El Salvador man caught by FBI, ICE one year after allegedly causing fatal crash

INDIANAPOLIS — An El Salvador citizen who was unlawfully in the United States, according to the FBI, has been arrested more than a year after he allegedly caused a fatal crash in Indianapolis.

Alexis Otoniel Hernandez-Araujo, 26, was taken into custody by a joint FBI and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement team on Thursday morning in Indianapolis.

Hernandez-Araujo is accused of driving drunk on July 6, 2024, and colliding into a vehicle driven by a pregnant woman in the 1200 block of Reisner Street.

Previous reports detail how Hernandez-Araujo’s 19-year-old brother was killed in the crash after he was ejected from the vehicle Hernandez-Araujo was driving. A pregnant woman and two children were in the vehicle that Hernandez-Araujo collided with. All three were seriously injured, with a 5-year-old child suffering from a skull fracture and a broken hip.

At the time of the crash, Indy metro police reported that Hernandez-Araujo fought with officers who were trying to detain him at the scene. Investigators also discovered at least six other vehicles along Reisner Street had been struck.

Hernandez-Araujo was taken to a hospital after the crash, but despite being detained by police at the scene, court and jail records indicate that he was never officially arrested.

Hernandez-Araujo was found to be on probation at the time of the crash for a previous charge of drinking and driving. A seven-day hold was requested by the state of Indiana but Hernandez-Araujo seemingly disappeared.

A warrant was issued for Hernandez-Araujo’s arrest roughly 20 days after the deadly crash. Hernandez-Araujo wasn’t taken into custody until Thursday when a joint FBI and ICE operation uncovered him in Indianapolis.

Hernandez-Araujo faces eight Level 4 felony counts related to operating a vehicle while intoxicate and causing both serious injuries and death. He also faces one count of reckless homicide as a Level 5 felony.

In Indiana, a Level 4 felony carries a maximum sentence of 12 years.