Napa County van driver charged with murdering 6 passengers

NAPA COUNTY, Calif. (KRON) — Prosecutors charged a man with murdering six passengers who were riding in his van when the van crashed into a tree along Pope Valley Road in Napa County.

The Toyota Sienna minivan driver was identified by prosecutors as Norberto Celerino, 53, of Stockton. California Highway Patrol officers found six people deceased inside the van Sunday evening.

The minivan driver and one passenger were the only survivors. Napa County Sheriff’s Office officials said the eight men in the van were farmworkers who reside in Stockton.

Two of the six deceased victims were identified by a coroner late Tuesday afternoon as Fernando Silverio, 34, of Stockton, and Loreto Ricardo Hernandez, 42.

On Tuesday morning, the Napa County District Attorney’s Office filed 13 charges against Celerino, including six counts of first-degree murder, six counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and DUI.

Celerino admitted that he drank alcohol before the deadly wreck, according to a CHP investigation report obtained by KRON4.

A CHP officer who questioned the driver in a hospital said he could smell “an odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his breath,” and noted Celerino’s “slow and slurred speech,” the CHP report states.

The deadly collision happened at 6198 Pope Valley Road, about 12 miles north of St. Helena, when the van veered off the pavement and crashed at 5:50 p.m. Sunday.

No other vehicles were involved in the wreck, CHP officers said.

Celerino did not have a driver’s license because it was already suspended for a previous 2020 DUI conviction in Stockton. According to Department of Motor Vehicles officials, Celerino is not allowed to drive until October of 2029.

Prosecutors said Celerino goes by several names, including Beto Celerino-Bialva, Roberto Salvaringo-Diabla, Grabien Martinez, and Norberto Celerino. The CHP said the driver also goes by the name Norberto Celerino-Novillava.

Officer Francisco Lopez described in a CHP report what he found when he arrived at the crash scene. “I noticed a brown Toyota van with major damage to the front and top end. It was stationary against a tree off the road. I also noticed several passengers that were deceased and seated in their seats,” Lopez wrote.

“I observed the evidence on scene and determined the driver was at fault for the crash,” Lopez wrote.

Despite being airlifted from the crash scene to a hospital, CHP Sgt. Andrew Barkley said hospital workers determined that the driver was not badly injured and did not need further treatment.

Lopez said evidence at the scene, his interview with the driver in the hospital, and the DUI investigation revealed that Celerino crashed while driving drunk, “and as a result, caused the death of his passengers.”

Celerino was arrested and booked into jail.

The Napa County Sheriff’s Office said it was still working on Tuesday to identify the remaining victims and notify their families.