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Jennifer Stift
Jennifer Stift

CHP Investigation Into Fatal Collision With Saugus High Student Ongoing

The investigation into a fatal collision that killed a Saugus High student last August continues, officials said Thursday, at the request of the District Attorney’s Office.


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Jennifer Stift, a 17-year-old who would be graduating this spring, was killed after a 17-year-old former Saugus High student driving a 1989 Toyota Celica struck Stift while she was jogging westbound across Golden Valley Road around 8:25 p.m. Aug. 18.

“The case remains under investigation (by the California Highway Patrol),” according to Greg Risling, spokesman for the District Attorney’s Office.

The name of the driver, a male juvenile at the time of the crash, is not being released, officials said.

An in-depth collision investigation, as well as the supplemental investigation by the Southern Division M.A.I.T. unit, is complete and has been forwarded to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for review,” according to an email from CHP spokesman John Lutz in April.

The District Attorney’s Office sent the investigation back to the CHP, officials said. No reason was cited why, and charging documents are not available in juvenile cases, according to the D.A.’s Office.

A public records request for the report on the investigation can’t be filled until the investigation is complete, according to CHP officials.

Officials have confirmed both the driver and Stift knew each other prior to the collision, but CHP officials have not released any details regarding the results of their investigation.

Drugs and alcohol do not appear to be a factor in the crash, according to officials. Speed is not suspected as a factor in the crash, according to Sgt. Reyes of the California Highway Patrol, although all aspects of the crash are being investigated.

“The objective of the MAIT Program is to provide CHP with the means to conduct in-depth investigations and analyses of major traffic collisions throughout the state,” according to a CHP website. “Investigations include the reconstruction of an incident and a study of the factors that may have contributed to the incident.”

Previously, Reyes said the driver acted in accordance with the law after the collision.

Back in August, hundreds came to several memorials held for Stift, a popular, well-liked student.

Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, or drop us a line at community@hometownstation.com.

KHTS AM 1220 - Santa Clarita Radio

CHP Investigation Into Fatal Collision With Saugus High Student Ongoing

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About Perry Smith

Perry Smith is a print and broadcast journalist who has won several awards for his focused, hyperlocal community coverage in several different regions of the country. In addition to five years of experience covering the Santa Clarita Valley, Smith, a San Fernando Valley native, has worked in newspapers and news websites in Los Angeles, the Northwest, the Central Valley and the South, before coming to KHTS in 2012. To contact Smith, email him at Perry@hometownstation.com.