27-year-old driver runs off road, dies in Raleigh crash

A 27-year-old man died Tuesday morning after police say he lost control of his car on Interstate 87 and crashed, police said.

Police found a blue 2009 Toyota Yaris around 10:22 a.m. near the intersection of I-87 North and the off-ramp for New Hope Road, according to a news release. The vehicle was down an embankment to the right of the roadway.

Jorge Ortega Jr. was found dead in the car, the release stated. There were no passengers in the vehicle.

Investigators think Ortega was traveling at a high speed when he lost control of the Toyota as he approached the off-ramp, just west of the Raleigh Beltline.

He left the road, hit a tree and slid down the embankment, the release stated.

“The preliminary investigation indicates that he was not wearing a seatbelt,” police spokesperson Lt. Jason Borneo said in an email Tuesday night. “It is unknown if impairment was a factor in this crash.”

This crash remains under investigation, with no evidence any other vehicles were involved, police said.

This story was originally published December 20, 2022 at 4:35 PM.