PEORIA, AZ — The man accused in a deadly 2022 crash that killed five people, including three young children, is now expected to spend 30 years behind bars.
Bjorn Hartzell, who was 16 at the time of the crash, was charged as an adult.
Just before trial, while out on bond and electronic monitoring, Hartzell was arrested in May for leading law enforcement on a high-speed pursuit across the Valley.
The ABC15 Investigators learned that weeks later, Hartzell accepted plea agreements in both cases. Now, multiple grieving families are preparing for his sentencing on July 31.
2022 DEADLY CRASH
ABC15 covered the deadly crash back in November 2022, which killed five people coming from a Friendsgiving.
"The holidays are extremely hard," said Sarah Harbeke.
Her family misses Evie, Harbeke's niece, and the seven-year-old's dad, Jace Hochstetler.
The pair were riding in a van with Hochstetler's new fiancé, Elizabeth Simpson. Also in the car were Simpson's three young children.
Police said Simpson's car was hit as she was turning on to 107th Avenue near Deer Valley Road.
The only survivors were her youngest son, Cruz, and the teen driver in the other car.
"It’s hard. You get flashbacks," said Harbeke.
For years, her sister, Evie's mom, and their family have been preparing for trial.
Hartzell was 16 at the time of the crash, but he wasn't arrested until 2023. He was charged as an adult in the case, and later indicted, at the age of 17.
Court documents said police believed he was driving more than 110 miles per hour at the time of the crash, and a blood test detected THC in his system.
"Looking at the park and knowing that the vehicle ended up somewhere in the grass and it was on fire, and parts were scattered all over the street," said Harbeke.
Hartzell's defense, according to court filings, was that he had a medical emergency. His attorney writing, that was the reason why there was no attempt made by Hartzell to "hit his brakes or stop".
Prosecutors told the court this was not an "isolated mistake" and filed documents which said Hartzell had been pulled over for speeding three times in the months leading up to the crash.
Two of those contacts with law enforcement ended with Hartzell receiving a citation and the third a warning. MCAO later filed documents showing during at least one of those incidents, Hartzell was driving 90 miles an hour.
In April 2025, Hartzell bonded out of custody and was released on an ankle monitor.
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2026 PHOENIX PURSUIT
In April, as Hartzell appeared in court, prosecutors raised concerns regarding his drug testing while out of custody.
They told the judge that Hartzell, now 20, had over 10 diluted drug tests. The Maricopa County Attorney's Office also expressed concern that he wasn't being tested for THC.
The judge ultimately ordered the defendant to surrender his license. She also changed his testing to focus on THC testing.
Towards the end of May, not long before trial was set to begin, Hartzell was arrested again.
Booking paperwork accused him of driving a motorcycle and leading Valley law enforcement on a high-speed pursuit.
ABC15 was able to obtain body camera video of the chase and Hartzell's arrest.
The 20-year-old is accused of going "well over 100 mph" and even stopping for his passenger to get off the motorcycle mid-chase.
Eventually, court documents said he left his bike in the area of Central Avenue and Buckeye Road in Phoenix. There he was accused of running and jumping into nearby backyards. Pepperball was deployed in the yard where he was "hiding" before he was arrested.
Those same documents show Hartzell allegedly admitted to running because he was "scared of the police".
At his initial appearance, Hartzell said he had no questions before apologizing.
PLEA AGREEMENTS
In late June, Hartzell took two plea deals and pleaded guilty in both the chase and deadly crash.
Under the terms of the agreements, Hartzell is expected to spend 30 years behind bars.
"There's a sense of relief knowing we won't have to continue to go to court and have to revisit the trauma every month, or every other month," said Harbeke.
She said her family was concerned Hartzell could commit another offense if released from custody.
"30 years will never be enough," said Harbeke. "Yeah, and I can only hope that he takes that 30 years and turn his life around."
Prosecutors in court said the families were hoping Hartzell's sentence would be longer. However, they agreed with a resolution that would avoid a trial.
Hartzell is set to be sentenced on July 31. Harbeke anticipates it will be extremely emotional for all the victims' families.
ABC15 reached out to Hartzell's attorney, who only said he could not provide a comment on the case.
HARTZELL'S OUT OF CUSTODY SUPERVISION
ABC15 reached out to the Maricopa County Adult Probation Department, who also oversees pretrial services.
Our team sent questions regarding Hartzell's supervision while out on bond and GPS monitoring.
The department sent a statement in response.
Thank you for your inquiry. While the department understands the substantive elements of your questions, the only information available as to the supervision of this case is what can be found in the public documents of the court file. In Arizona, disclosure of pretrial and probation records is governed by Arizona Supreme Court Rule 123, which designates pretrial and probation supervision history, drug testing, risk assessments, diagnostic information, and other information as confidential.
Although we cannot comment on the supervision of any individual on supervision, we can provide some general information about electronic monitoring because there are common misconceptions about what this technology is designed to do. The Arizona Judicial Branch uses electronic monitoring as a supervision tool to promote community safety while allowing eligible individuals to remain in the community under court-ordered conditions. Depending on the Court's order, individuals may be placed on house arrest, curfew, or other monitoring conditions. GPS technology can help verify compliance with geographic restrictions, detect suspected equipment tampering, and support officer supervision; however, it cannot tell officers what an individual is doing, who they are with, provide live video surveillance, or prevent someone from committing a new offense. Because operational procedures such as drug testing protocols, supervision methods, and case-specific information are confidential and safety-sensitive, the Judicial Branch does not publicly disclose those details.
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