UPDATE Thursday 11 December 2025: Fresno County Judge Jonathan Conklin ruled the evidence presented did not support a charge of felony Vehicular Manslaughter and ordered Chang tried for a lessor charge of misdemeanor Vehicular Manslaughter – which carries potential penalties of up to 1 year in county jail, a fine to up $1000, driver’s license suspension and/or mandatory community service. Court documents show the Acura’s speed at the time of the crash was allegedly 76 mph as recorded by the car’s Event Data Recorder, but that data was not admissible evidence due to a one year delay in retrieving it by police.

On Monday California Superior Court proceedings got underway against Johnson Chang after the 49 year-old was charged with killing amateur cyclist Adela Santana in a head-on crash while driving a high-performance sports car in the rolling foothills near Fresno on Sunday 2 October 2022.

Court documents associated with the case, indicate Chang and five other high-performance car enthusiasts met at a Starbucks coffee shop on the morning of the deadly crash, agreeing to drive together (similar to a pack of cyclists) on twisting, narrow, undulating roads in the Sierra Nevada foothills.

Chang was driving the lead car, an Acura NSX, followed by a Porsche 911 GT3, Ferrari SF90, Porsche 911, Porsche Targa and a Lamborghini Murcielago at the back of the pack. All of the cars were street legal high-performance machines capable of speeds close to 200mph.

As the cars crested a hill on rural Watts Valley Road, the Acura crossed over the double-yellow center line directly into the path of Santana riding in the opposite direction. The Acura hit her head-on at a high rate of speed, catapulting her body directly into the windshield of the sports car. Although the cars stopped immediately and life-saving measures were performed, paramedics arriving via helicopter pronounced Santana deceased.

Testimony on Monday from one of the other cyclists on the training ride with Santana indicated that Chang’s Acura did not attempt to avoid the crash. “It was in the middle of the road the entire time I saw it. The center of the car was over the double-yellow line,” according to reporting from the Fresno Bee.

The reporting adds Forensic Pathologist Dr. Christopher Happy testified that Santana had leathal injuries resulting from the crash, including a severed brain stem, lacerations to her heart and liver, as well as contusions and cuts on her body.

Not only was Santana an avid cyclist who participated in 100 mile rides including the Best Buddies Challenge, she was also a revered anthropology professor at California State University Fresno and mother of five young children.

If convicted on the current felony charge of Vehicular Manslaughter with Gross Negligence, Chang may be sentenced up to six years in a California state prison.

Photo Credit: courtesy photo, CHP

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