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Man indicted in deadly 2018 north Phoenix crash that killed a 3-year-old boy

Nathaniel Hernandez.jpg
Posted at 12:37 PM, Jul 17, 2019
and last updated 2019-07-17 16:08:40-04

PHOENIX — A Phoenix man has been indicted in a deadly 2018 crash in north Phoenix that killed a 3-year-old boy.

On Monday morning, the Maricopa County Fugitive Task Force arrested 22-year-old Nathaniel Hernandez on a grand jury warrant for manslaughter, endangerment, and aggravated assault.

On February 12, 2018, just before 9 p.m., Phoenix police responded to a crash near 18th Street and Greenway Parkway.

Police say an SUV being driven by an adult man and occupied by a woman and two children was traveling eastbound on Greenway when it collided with a car driven by Hernandez, who was turning left onto 18th Street.

According to court records, Hernandez's actions were reckless and "involved the discharge, use or threatening exhibition of a motor vehicle." Prosecutors did not provide further details on why his actions constituted a crime.

The collision sent the two vehicles off the road and into a cement wall surrounding a home.

The SUV crashed into the backyard of Isaiah Compos.

"I just heard people screaming and running around. They were trying to find their kids, they just kept saying, 'I can't find my kids,'" said Compos.

One of the children in the SUV, a 3-year-old boy, was unrestrained in the vehicle, according to Arizona Department of Child Safety investigators. He was taken to the hospital and later died, according to police. Authorities later identified the child as Noah Perry.

Police say a 6-year-old girl also traveling in the SUV suffered serious injuries. Compos found the injured girl in his backyard.

"One of the cars started to catch fire, so I went to my backyard to grab a hose to help out, and I see the little girl in the back kinda just crawling around," said Compos.

According to police, both drivers in the collision suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Hernandez' next court date is an arraignment on July 23, according to court records.