Mesa police investigate an overnight crash on Loop 202 that left two people dead in the East Valley

Mesa police and the Arizona Department of Public Safety investigated a four-car crash on the westbound Loop 202 near McKellips Road on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, that left two people dead. Officials said the collision involved multiple vehicles and caused significant traffic disruptions while emergency crews worked the scene and conducted a criminal investigation.

Officials said the victims are believed to be children based on initial investigative information, though their identities and ages have not been released pending notification of next of kin and further confirmation. DPS described the investigation as a criminal inquiry, indicating that troopers are examining whether reckless driving, impairment, distraction, or other unlawful conduct contributed to the collision.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) confirmed that two people were killed in the crash, which involved four vehicles traveling westbound on the Loop 202 Red Mountain Freeway near McKellips Road in Mesa.

The crash occurred during daytime hours on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, and caused significant traffic disruptions on the westbound lanes of Loop 202. DPS troopers and emergency crews blocked the freeway while working the scene, collecting evidence, and conducting a thorough investigation. The westbound lanes were reopened only after investigators completed on-scene work and removed the vehicles involved. DPS spokespersons confirmed the multi-vehicle nature of the incident and emphasized that the investigation remains active.

DPS officials said the crash took place in moving freeway traffic rather than at a surface intersection, consistent with the high-speed nature of collisions commonly reported on the East Valley’s Loop 202 corridor. The four-car collision is similar to other serious incidents in the area, including a recent crash near McKellips Road involving a pickup truck striking a flatbed tow truck stopped on the shoulder, which also resulted in fatalities among child passengers. In that case, DPS reported minor injuries to additional occupants, reinforcing the risk factors present along this stretch of freeway.

Investigators are conducting scene reconstruction, which includes measuring skid marks, documenting vehicle rest positions, and analyzing debris fields to determine the sequence of impacts. DPS records show that in similar multi-vehicle crashes on Loop 202, common contributing factors include failure to stop for slowing traffic, high-speed rear-end collisions, and secondary impacts. Officials said toxicology results and further driver behavior analyses will be reviewed as part of the ongoing criminal investigation. Any charges or citations will be determined only after the full investigative process, including witness interviews and technical analyses, is complete.

The Loop 202 freeway in the East Valley, which serves Mesa and surrounding communities, has seen multiple fatal crashes in recent years. According to DPS reports, serious incidents on the corridor have involved wrong-way driving, chain-reaction collisions, and truck-involved crashes. For example, on December 12, 2024, a wrong-way crash near Power Road resulted in one death and two injuries. In another case on August 13, 2026, a work truck-related crash on the Loop 202 Santan segment near Power Road killed a 27-year-old pregnant woman and her unborn child after the truck failed to stop for traffic. Chain-reaction collisions involving three or more vehicles have also been documented, with at least one fatality when a Chevrolet pickup struck a Volkswagen Jetta.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety remains the lead agency investigating the October 23 crash. Officials have stated they will release additional details, including the victims’ identities and possible contributing factors, as the investigation progresses. The incident adds to a pattern of high-speed, multi-vehicle crashes on the Loop 202 in the East Valley, underscoring ongoing safety concerns in the region’s freeway network.