Man, 25, dead after crashing car into tree in Fair Oaks. Sacramento CHP says speed a factor

California Highway Patrol officials say speed may have factored in the death of a driver who crashed his car into a tree Wednesday night in Fair Oaks.

The 25-year-old man was driving a Honda Civic east on Sunset Avenue west of Main Street about 7:35 p.m. when he lost control of the car and slammed it into a tree on a night when rain soaked the Sacramento region, according to a statement from officials in the CHP’s East Sacramento office.

The Sacramento County Coroner’s Office identified the man as 25-year-old Juan Israel Ratzan Chicajua of Citrus Heights.

CHP officials did not yet know if alcohol or drugs contributed to the crash.

This story was originally published March 13, 2025 at 8:37 AM.

Darrell Smith

The Sacramento Bee

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Darrell Smith is a local reporter for The Sacramento Bee. He joined The Bee in 2006 and previously worked at newspapers in Palm Springs, Colorado Springs and Marysville. Smith was born and raised at Beale Air Force Base and lives in Elk Grove.