A woman was arrested in connection with a wrong-way crash on Florida's Turnpike that killed a young paramedic back in January, his family confirmed.
Ezekiel Urrutia, 23, died when a driver in a 2010 grey Honda Element SUV crashed while traveling against traffic on the Turnpike after Red Road on Jan. 9.
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"On this day, I think Ezekiel is smiling," his father, Frank Urrutia, said Tuesday.
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The suspect, 45-year-old Sunshine Rae Perez, was in bond court on Wednesday. She is facing a number of serious DUI charges, including DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide, DUI causing property damage and more.
She would be held without bond, and is awaiting extradition from Broward County to Miami-Dade County. A follow up hearing was scheduled for May 8, to make sure the transfer is successful.
Investigators said Urrutia, who was driving a 2016 Honda Civic, couldn't avoid a collision, and the two vehicles hit head-on, officials said. The Element then hit a concrete barrier wall and overturned, while the Civic spun around.
At the time of the crash, the family said Urrutia was a paramedic waiting to be hired as a firefighter.
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A thin red and blue line flag representing first responders still flies outside the family home.
Frank Urrutia also said the family started a scholarship fund for aspiring firefighters at Miami Dade College in honor of his son.
