Tevin Brandt Confronts Sisters Over Missing Cellphone, Resulting in Fiery Crash on Highway 99

Accident – Death – Obituary News : BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Tevin Brandt, a Santa Maria resident, found himself in a dramatic and tragic situation after his cellphone went missing. Brandt, 30, tracked his phone to a location in south Bakersfield and confronted three sisters who were delivering newspapers. This confrontation quickly escalated into a car chase that ended in a fiery crash on Highway 99, according to police reports.

Eyewitness statements included in the newly-released police reports indicate that Brandt approached the sole survivor of the crash, who managed to escape with the help of a bystander. Witnesses reported that Brandt yelled at the survivor, accusing her and her sisters of stealing his belongings and expressing his hope that they would die. One witness even recorded the angry exchange on her cellphone.

However, it turned out that Brandt had made a mistake. The sisters were innocent and had never taken his phone. In fact, the missing device was later found in an Uber parked on the same street where the confrontation took place. The police reports reveal this crucial detail, highlighting the unfortunate error made by Brandt.

As a result of the tragic crash on March 4, two lives were lost. Karime Duarte, 21, and Jennifer Duarte, 15, were killed, while the third sister, Diana Ponce, 23, suffered serious injuries. The gravity of the situation is further emphasized by the fact that the victims were being chased, as confirmed by their family.

Brandt and Gustavo Montoya, a rideshare driver who had given Brandt a ride earlier and allegedly participated in the chase, are both facing charges. Each of them is charged with two counts of vehicular manslaughter and reckless driving. Brandt is scheduled for a preliminary hearing in late January, while Montoya remains at large.

According to the police reports, when Brandt was apprehended, he admitted to confronting the sisters but denied causing the crash. Both Brandt and Montoya pointed fingers at each other, claiming that the other was the one who chased the sisters. Brandt maintained that he followed their car but kept a safe distance and never exceeded 40 mph.

The events leading up to the tragedy began innocently enough. Brandt was in Bakersfield on March 3 to celebrate his sister’s birthday. After a night of barhopping in downtown Bakersfield, he and his girlfriend took an Uber back to his mother’s house in the early morning hours. It was later discovered that his phone was missing, prompting Brandt to call the Uber driver, Montoya, for assistance in locating it. Montoya denied having the missing phone but agreed to help in the search.

Using his girlfriend’s phone, Brandt was able to track his device to a location on Macau Street. He and his girlfriend drove there, with Montoya following in another vehicle. Upon arrival, Brandt spotted the sisters in a vehicle as they were delivering newspapers, leading to the confrontation that ultimately resulted in the tragic chase and crash.

Diana Ponce, the surviving sister, provided her account of the incident to the police. According to her statement, two men approached her car and demanded a phone, to which she and her sisters replied that they did not have it. Ponce described how the men became increasingly aggressive, banging on the windows and causing her to fear for their safety. In an attempt to escape the escalating situation, she drove away, with the men giving chase and driving dangerously close to her vehicle. Ponce believed that they were intentionally trying to hit her.

The chase finally came to a devastating end on McKee Road, where the sisters’ vehicle launched onto Highway 99 and collided with a pickup truck, resulting in a fiery explosion. Witnesses reported that Brandt, before leaving the scene, once again confronted Ponce about his missing phone and wished death upon her. The intensity and tragedy of the situation were further compounded by Brandt’s false accusations against the innocent sisters.

A subsequent check on the location of his phone revealed that it was still registering in the area where the initial confrontation took place. Brandt tracked the device to a home with a vehicle displaying a Lyft/Uber sticker in the driveway. Surveillance footage captured Brandt knocking on the door and claiming to be a federal agent in need of his phone, which he believed to be in their car. He informed the occupants of the collision crash on the freeway, falsely stating that they had chased and killed the sisters. The doorbell footage and the subsequent discovery of the phone in the Uber/Lyft vehicle confirmed the mistaken identity of the sisters as thieves.

Brandt told the police that he did not recognize the driver or the vehicle where his phone was found and claimed ignorance as to how it ended up there. However, the documents also mention another incident in which Brandt accused someone of stealing an item. During a search of his home in Santa Maria, Brandt became agitated and accused the officers of stealing a pair of earrings. The police assured him that nothing had been stolen and that all the officers were equipped with body-worn cameras. Brandt responded with hostility, highlighting a pattern of false accusations and confrontational behavior.

The tragic events that unfolded on that fateful day serve as a sobering reminder of the consequences that can arise from misjudgment and the dangers of road rage. As the legal proceedings continue, the families of the victims mourn the loss of their loved ones while seeking justice for the innocent sisters who tragically lost their lives..