Man Charged in Pasadena Double Fatal Hit-and-Run Crash

An Altadena man was charged Monday in connection with an alleged hit-and-run crash in Pasadena that left two people dead.

Jeffrey Butler, 30, pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and one felony count of hit-and-run driving resulting in death or serious injury to another person, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

The crash occurred about 9:15 p.m. last Wednesday at Raymond Avenue and Penn Street, according to Pasadena police.

Police said a Lincoln Navigator collided with a Nissan Versa, killing the Nissan driver, 63-year-old Antonio Mendoza-Hernandez of Los Angeles and his passenger, 33-year-old Veralice Yanira Membreno Orellana of Altadena.

According to reports from the scene, two occupants of the Lincoln got out of the vehicle and ran away.

Butler was “quickly identified” by the Pasadena Traffic Section as the suspect, according to police.

“With the assistance of the Robbery Homicide Unit and Street Crime Unit, suspect Butler was arrested on Thursday … just outside his home,” police said.

Butler has remained behind bars since then, according to jail records.

He is due back in a Pasadena courtroom Nov. 28. A date is scheduled to be set then for a hearing to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to allow the case against him to proceed to trial, according to the District Attorney’s Office.