Vehicular Crimes Detectives Arrest Suspect in Fatal Collision on US 60 near Higley Road

MESA, Ariz. — On Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at approximately 1:01 a.m., the Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) responded to a three-vehicle fatal collision on eastbound US 60 near milepost 187 (Higley Road).

The preliminary investigation indicates a vehicle experienced a flat tire, and the driver stopped on the right emergency shoulder. Family members responded to the location to assist the driver with changing the tire. After completing the tire change, the family was preparing to leave when an eastbound vehicle struck the two vehicles stopped on the shoulder.

One person was killed, and two others sustained critical and serious injuries and were transported to a hospital.

The driver who collided with the stopped vehicles, 21-year-old Zachary Robert Penrod of Queen Creek, Arizona, showed signs of impairment.

Penrod was booked into the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Jail on one count of manslaughter, two counts of aggravated assault, and one count of endangerment.

The AZDPS Vehicular Crimes Unit is investigating this collision.