Pontiac, MI – A mother stopped at a red light. Three children in the vehicle with her.
A car allegedly flying down the road.
Then catastrophe.
Prosecutors have now charged 21-year-old Tomas Alvarado Jr. in connection with the crash that killed 37-year-old Deniquah Reed and her two sons, 6-year-old Dior and 4-year-old Dex. The collision happened August 29, 2025 at the intersection of Montcalm Road and Joslyn Road in Pontiac.
Reed’s 9-year-old daughter was seriously injured in the crash but has since recovered.
According to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, Alvarado was driving a 2022 Honda Civic on Joslyn when the vehicle crossed the centerline and left the roadway. Investigators say the car struck multiple signs and poles before slamming into a 2025 Chevy Malibu that was stopped at a red light on westbound Montcalm.
Reed and her children were inside that Malibu.
Authorities say speed played a role in the crash. Drugs and alcohol were not believed to be factors.
Alvarado is charged with three counts of reckless driving causing death, each punishable by up to 15 years in prison, and one count of reckless driving causing serious injury, a 5-year felony. Officials said he turned himself in after learning charges had been authorized. He was jailed and later released on personal bond.
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard called the crash a tragic reminder of the responsibility drivers carry every time they get behind the wheel.
“Driving a multiple thousand-pound vehicle requires our full and complete attention,” Bouchard said. “This is a tragic reminder of that fact and the penalties that await when driving is not safely executed.”
One vehicle waiting at a light.
One vehicle allegedly moving too fast.
A family forever changed in seconds.
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