Victim ID’d in fatal head-on crash near casino; other driver in critical condition

['Elias Weiss', 'Editorial Director', 'Elias Weiss Earned His Journalism Degree The University Of Arkansas', 'Began Reporting For The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. He Later Led The Chatham Star-Tribune To A Best Weekly Newspaper Award Before Working As An Investigative Reporter For Phoenix New Times', 'The Daily Beast. In', 'He Became Managing Editor At Inmaricopa', 'Winning Top State Awards For Investigative', 'Narrative Reporting. In', 'He Took Over As Editorial Director. Elias Often Discusses Politics On Kfnx.'] InMaricopa 2025-09-23 17:42:04

Authorities this morning identified the man killed in Friday night’s head-on crash near the casino on John Wayne Parkway as 55-year-old Jose Jesus Montoya Munoz. According to preliminary findings from the ongoing investigation, Munoz was traveling southbound in a Ford F-150 in the proper southbound lanes of John Wayne Parkway when another vehicle entered the roadway traveling northbound in the same lanes. That vehicle, driven by 61-year-old Masoumeh Hemati, struck Munoz’s truck head-on near Sonoran Desert Parkway. Hemati was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she remains in critical condition as of this morning, authorities said. The collision shut down portions of John Wayne Parkway near the casino for several hours Friday night as emergency crews responded.