Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Man held on count of DUI in death of trick-or-treater

Updated Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2011 | 3:41 p.m.

Faith Monet Love

Faith Monet Love

Justin Caramanica

Justin Caramanica

12-year-old stuck by Mazda

A man police say fatally struck a 12-year-old girl who was trick-or-treating Monday night has been arrested on a count of driving under the influence, according to jail records.

Justin Caramanica, 41, was booked into the Clark County Detention Center early Tuesday morning on a count of DUI resulting in substantial bodily harm, according to jail records. He was being held without bail.

The Clark County coroner’s office has identified the girl as Faith Monet Love of Las Vegas.

School District officials said Love was a seventh-grader at Rogich Middle School in the western valley. The district’s crisis response team was at the school providing counseling for students.

The incident happened when a 2009 Mazda RX-8 driven by Caramanica hit Love at 8:22 p.m. near West Wesley Lake Place and South Sandstone Bluffs Drive, Metro Police said. That neighborhood is near Sahara Avenue and Hualapai Way in the Summerlin area.

The girl was taken to University Medical Center, where she later died, authorities said.

The preliminary investigation indicates the Mazda was traveling south on Sandstone Bluffs Drive when it hit the girl as she was walking west across the street from the northeast corner of the intersection, police said.

The Mazda’s front left side hit the girl, police said. Caramanica was not injured.

The accident, which resulted in the 55th traffic-related fatality in Metro’s jurisdiction this year, remains under investigation.

It followed another alleged DUI-related accident that killed a teen in Henderson over the weekend.

In that case, Henderson Police said a Mercedes sport utility vehicle, driven by 77-year-old Imre Jeno Dayka, hit a 15-year-old boy crossing Center Street on Saturday night.

The coroner’s office identified the teen as Lucas Ruiz-Brenes of Henderson.

Dayka was booked into the Henderson Detention Center on Saturday night on one count of felony DUI with substantial bodily harm or death, police said.

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