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A 29-year-old San Jose man has been charged with murder after he allegedly drove at more than 140 mph on Highway 87 and crashed into the back of a car, killing a mother and her young daughter. Zachary Chernicky faces two counts of murder and other charges after the Dec. 2, 2025, crash that killed Ivana Balistreri and her daughter Lilliana, who was just two weeks shy of her second birthday.
The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office announced the charges on July 17, 2026. “Zachary Chernicky was speeding on the northbound side of the road at 142 mph 15 seconds before the crash, 126 mph 5 seconds before the crash, and 102 mph when he plowed into the back of the Lexus that had stopped in traffic,” the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement. The speed limit on the highway is 65 mph under normal conditions.
Chernicky was arraigned on July 14 and remanded to jail without bail. His next court date is Aug. 25 at 1:30 p.m. in Department 31 in the Hall of Justice in San Jose. “The law says that it is murder when someone shoots into a crowd,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said. “When someone is driving 140 mph, then the driver is the shooter and their car is the bullet.”
The crash occurred around 10 a.m. when Chernicky’s vehicle struck Balistreri’s car so hard that both vehicles and the one in front suffered major fire and crash damage. Chernicky suffered minor injuries. The California Highway Patrol arrested him on July 13, almost seven months after the crash.
Victims Remembered
A GoFundMe started by family member Alexia Balistreri has raised nearly $110,000. “Losing them has destroyed our family in a way words can barely express. Two bright, innocent, loving souls were taken from us far too soon,” the fundraiser stated. “Ivana was truly one of the purest spirits we have ever known. She never judged, never gossiped, and loved everyone around her with her whole heart. She was gentle, kind, and full of life. To lose someone so young, so pure, and so unbelievably special feels unbearably unfair,” it added.
“Baby Lilliana—our sweet Lilly Bean—brought so much joy in her short time here. Her smile, her sweetness, and her light will stay with us forever.” Family members raised funds to help cover funeral expenses, legal fees, and memorial services.
Ivana was a beloved daughter, sister, mother, and fiancée, her family previously told People. “She always pushed me to be a better version of myself,” older sister Rosie Balistreri, 37, said in December. “She would always call me and make sure I was okay and try to get me out of bed to go on walks with her.”
