SAN JOSE — A 39-year-old Florida man has been arrested and charged with murder in connection with a wrong-way crash last week in San Jose that killed a mother and son and may have been fueled by alcohol, authorities said.
Following his release from a medical facility Thursday, Orlando resident Duncan Park McQuarrie III was booked into Santa Clara County jail, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Ross Lee.
At McQuarrie’s arraignment Friday, Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Hector E. Ramon ruled that McQuarrie could not post bail because he poses a great risk to the public and is a resident of Florida. Ramon added that there is convincing evidence that McQuarrie behaved in a wanton and willful manner, and noted that this incident occurred immediately after McQuarrie’s release from another arrest.
Prosecutors did not specify that earlier arrest in their statement of facts.
“I think the reason that this crime has had such an impactful and profoundly sad effect on our community is that many of us drive that highway all the time with our families,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a press conference. “We’ve charged the defendant with murder because of the reckless disregard for human life that he showed in driving 100 miles an hour for several minutes, for several miles in the middle of the day, tragically resulting in death.”
The fatal collision happened around 3:40 p.m. on Aug. 26 in the northbound lanes of Highway 85 just south of Santa Teresa Boulevard.
Prior to the crash, the CHP received reports about a 2024 Toyota Tacoma traveling in the wrong direction. The car was traveling between 80 and 100 mph and using all lanes, according to a news release sent Friday by the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office. The driver was reportedly waving a hammer out of the window, according to the CHP statement of facts.
McQuarrie stopped his car facing the wrong direction in the traffic divide near Union Avenue, where he exited the vehicle and walked into the northbound lanes of Highway 85 for several minutes with his arms raised in the air, prosecutors said. McQuarrie then reentered his car and resumed driving in the wrong direction at a high speed.
McQuarrie crashed head-on into a 2021 Tesla Model Y before officers could stop him, according to Lee. The occupants of the Tesla were pronounced dead at the scene.
The people killed were later identified by the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office as 47-year-old Rebecca Joanne Olsen and 14-year-old Charles “Charlie” George Olsen, both of San Jose.
Rosen said authorities are investigating whether alcohol or drugs were involved in the crash; the district attorney added that the officer McQuarrie spoke to after the incident said they believed that McQuarrie was under the influence. Officers identified open alcoholic beverage containers in the vehicle, according to the statement of facts.
McQuarrie had been in Santa Clara County for less than a week at the time of the crash, Rosen said.
McQuarrie was previously arrested for DUIs in Florida in 2013 and 2021, according to the statement of facts. In 2021 and 2022, he was convicted for drug possession.
McQuarrie’s next hearing was set for November 7.
Rebecca Olsen, the woman killed in the crash, was originally from Australia; her son, Charlie was born in the United Kingdom, the boy’s father Cameron Olsen said in a social media post days after the fatal collision. Both were avid world travelers and 12-year residents of San Jose.
Charlie was a gifted child who “took enormous pride” in his knowledge of history and politics, his father said. He had recently started his freshman year at Summit Tahoma High School, where he skipped ahead a year in math and Spanish classes.
“He was very, very unique (and yes, I know most parents say that),” Cameron said. “He was my best friend, my travel buddy and the only person I ever truly felt at home with.”
Anyone with information related to the case can contact the CHP San Jose area office at 408-961-0900.
