TUCSON — A 20-year-old man was killed Friday night when the Ford Mustang he was driving left East Speedway Boulevard in midtown Tucson and slammed into the wall of a business, and witnesses told police he may have been racing other drivers, the Tucson Police Department said.
Officers were called to the 3400 block of East Speedway at about 9:22 p.m. on Oct. 2 for a single-vehicle crash, according to police. Tucson Fire Department crews checked on the driver of the blue 2007 Mustang and pronounced him dead at the scene.
Police identified him as Adrian Antonio Gastelum Iriarte and said his next of kin had been notified.
Based on marks on the roadway and interviews with people who saw the crash, traffic detectives believe Gastelum Iriarte was heading west on Speedway at a high rate of speed when he lost control. The car ran off the road and struck the building, KGUN 9 reported, citing police.
Witnesses told investigators the Mustang may have been racing other vehicles at the time. Police said those vehicles were not involved in the collision itself. Detectives listed speed as the known contributing factor so far and said any citations or charges will be decided once the investigation is complete. Police have not said whether they have identified the other drivers.
A deadly year on Tucson streets
The crash came the same night a 52-year-old woman was fatally struck while crossing East Golf Links Road on the east side. In announcing that case, Tucson police said the city had recorded 63 traffic deaths so far in 2026, including 24 pedestrians, KGUN 9 reported.
Speedway is one of Tucson’s busiest east-west corridors, and the midtown stretch where the crash happened is lined with businesses set close to the roadway. Police have not released details about the other vehicles witnesses described.
Anyone who witnessed Friday’s crash or the moments before it can contact Tucson police at 911 or 88-CRIME, the anonymous tip line.
Photo: freestocks.org via Flickr (CC0 public domain). Generic photo; not from the scene.