Venice Boardwalk Crash: One Dead, Suspect Arrested

In the Venice boardwalk crash, one person is dead and a suspect has been arrested. Nathan Campbell, age 38, was arrested for driving his car onto the Venice Beach boardwalk on Saturday. Dozens were injured and one woman was killed in the bizarre incident.

Alice Gruppioni, age 32, was the only fatality. As reported by ABC News, Gruppioni and her husband were spending their honeymoon at the popular tourist destination. She was taken to a California hospital where she later died.

Gruppioni and her new husband Christian were visiting the US from Italy. Witness Richard Ruiz describes the heartbreaking scene:

“It was just really sad to see because that guy was just sitting down to her left, just talking to her at first… Right when I got there, she was speaking little. But after that, the next thing you know she just stopped talking.”

In addition to Gruppioni, 11 other people were injured in the incident.

Campbell has been described as “a transient.” At around 6 pm on Saturday, he apparently intentionally drive a Dodge avenger into a crowd on the boardwalk. Witnesses estimate that he was driving around 60 mph.

The man then drove away from the scene. He eventually abandoned the car a few miles from the Venice boardwalk crash.

Campbell reportedly turned himself in at the Santa Monica substation. He told police that he was somehow “connected” to the crash. However, the details are vague. He is now being held on $1 million bond.

Some witnesses described the vehicle as “losing control.” Others said it was clear that Campbell intentionally drive into the crowd.

As reported by Los Angeles Times, thousands of tourists were on the boardwalk on Saturday evening. Some have suggested that more barriers are needed to prevent a similar tragedy in the future.

Residents report that drivers occasionally turn onto the boardwalk on accident. However, Saturday’s Venice boardwalk crash was a rare tragedy.

[Image via Flickr]