6 men killed in suspected DUI crash in Napa County believed to all be from Stockton area
A suspected DUI crash that killed six men and injured two others in California's most famous wine region is believed to have primarily involved Stockton residents, according to the Napa County Sheriff's Office. The driver, Stockton resident Norberto Celerino, 53, who survived the crash but was injured, now faces six counts of murder, according to the Napa County District Attorney's Office.The crash happened Sunday just before 6 p.m. along Pope Valley Road, not far from Pope Valley Union Elementary School. Eight men were in the vehicle when it veered off the road and crashed into a tree, officials said. Celerino and another passenger were taken to an area hospital for their critical injuries, but six men died at the scene.As of Tuesday evening, two of the men killed have been identified as Loreto Ricardo Hernandez, 42, and Fernando Silverio, 34, both from Stockton. The sheriff's office said it's believed all six men were farm workers who reside in or near Stockton. The district attorney's office said Celerino has a history of DUI convictions. Two of the convictions were in San Joaquin County from Aug. 2020 and Sept. 2024. The DA noted that Celerino also had a third DUI conviction but that one is from more than a decade prior.Beyond the murder charges, the district attorney's office says Celerino faces six felony counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and a felony count of DUI causing injury with two or more prior convictions. He also faces several special enhancement allegations, including inflicting great bodily injury with a deadly weapon (motor vehicle), great bodily injury, that the crimes involved violence, cruelty, viciousness or callousness, that the crimes demonstrate an increasing level of seriousness compared to previous crimes, and that the defendant was on probation and had prior poor performance on probation. Celerino remains in the hospital for his injuries sustained in the crash, officials said, so his arraignment was continued.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
