Car crashes into Modesto home after CHP pursuit, killing 1

A Modesto home caught fire after a car being chased by California Highway Patrol officers crashed into it early Tuesday morning, leaving one person dead, officials said.

The Modesto Fire Department said crews responded to the home near Robin Hood Drive and Tuxford Lane just before 1:30 a.m. after reports of a fire.

CHP later confirmed that officers were pursuing a vehicle that had refused to pull over when it crashed into the house. The driver has since been identified as 20-year-old Zachariah Knobel, who is suspected of driving under the influence. He was booked into the Stanislaus County Jail on multiple felony charges.

At the scene, firefighters found the car had slammed into the home. Crews were able to mostly contain the flames to the car.

CHP said Knobel and a passenger were pulled from the car. Authorities identified the passenger as an 18-year-old woman who was released to her mother at the scene.

Modesto Fire originally said two people were found dead in the home, but CHP later clarified that only one person had died in the incident.

Neighbors and CHP confirmed the homeowners were away at the time of the crash and that the person killed inside the residence was believed to be house-sitting for them. The victim's identity has not yet been released.

Due to the incident, Modesto authorities said Robin Hood Drive and Tuxford Lane would be closed through most of the morning.

Residents described hearing a loud crash in the middle of the night as the vehicle slammed into the home. Neighbor Mike Hardin said he recognized the house because his mother lived there for more than three decades.

Hardin said another vehicle crashed into the same home in the mid-2000s, causing damage to the front of the residence. Following that incident, he said his father installed large boulders and pillars in the front yard in hopes of preventing a similar crash.