The 23-year-old driver had pulled onto the shoulder after her Acura became disabled early Sunday in south Atlanta.
ATLANTA, Ga. — Motorists who stopped along Interstate 75 to help a young woman with a disabled vehicle witnessed a fatal collision moments later, as Atlanta police continued searching for the driver who left the scene on foot.
Jaquelin Telesforo Vazquez, 23, died early Sunday, Aug. 23, after a Volkswagen Tiguan struck her and her Acura MDX on I-75 northbound near Cleveland Avenue SW, according to Atlanta police. The crash occurred about 3:30 a.m. Police said the Volkswagen driver left the scene after the collision, and investigators have not publicly identified that person.
Vazquez had been traveling north when her Acura became disabled for reasons that remain unknown, police said. She stopped on the left shoulder and got out. A report by 11Alive said other motorists had stopped in an effort to help her before the Volkswagen reached the scene. The station described the witnesses as being present when the fatal impact occurred.
The Atlanta Police Department’s preliminary account does not provide details about the motorists who stopped, including how many people were there or what assistance they had been giving Vazquez. Police also have not said how long the Acura had been stopped before the collision or whether investigators believe visibility, speed or another factor contributed to the crash.
The Fulton County medical examiner identified the woman as Jaquelin Telesforo Vazquez. Friends referred to her as Jackie in an online fundraiser created after her death. The fundraiser said she had been driving home early that morning and described her death as sudden and devastating for relatives and friends now preparing for her funeral.
The fundraiser gives a somewhat different account of what happened before the fatal collision. It says another vehicle first hit Vazquez’s car and left the scene, after which she pulled over and got out. The fundraiser says a second vehicle then struck her and that driver also left. Atlanta police, however, have publicly said only that the Acura became disabled for unknown reasons before the Volkswagen struck Vazquez and the SUV. Police have not confirmed a separate earlier collision.
That difference remains unresolved as investigators reconstruct the sequence of events. The police department has described its information as preliminary and cautioned that details could change as investigators gather additional evidence. The Accident Investigations Unit responded to the interstate after the crash.
The collision was one of several fatal incidents involving people outside vehicles on Atlanta-area interstates during the weekend. Earlier Sunday, police investigated another death on the Downtown Connector near University Avenue after a man was struck by several vehicles. Those incidents were separate, and authorities have not indicated that they were connected.
For the people who stopped near Cleveland Avenue, the event began as an attempt to help a stranded motorist and ended with a fatal crash. Their presence adds a human dimension to an investigation that still has major unanswered questions, including why Vazquez’s Acura became disabled and what happened immediately before the Volkswagen struck her.
Atlanta police said the Volkswagen driver fled on foot following the collision. As of the latest public reports reviewed Wednesday, police had not announced an arrest or released the driver’s identity. The investigation remains active.
Author note: Last updated Aug. 26, 2026.