San Diego homicide detectives were called to investigate the circumstances of an unusual scene on Monday morning, where a woman was found dead after a vehicle crashed into a Bay Park home and a fire started inside.
Neighbors first called police at about 7:40 a.m. to report that a white Toyota Tacoma had crashed through the front wall of a house in the 4300 block of Dakota Drive and that a fire had sparked.
After first responders put out the fire, two people were found inside the home with burn injuries, SDPD homicide Lt. Chris Tivanian said.
Homicide detectives were called to the scene to investigate the event’s unusual circumstances. Investigators believe the pair were husband and wife.
The woman, who has not yet been publicly identified, was pronounced dead at the scene, while the man was transported to UC San Diego’s burn center in unknown condition. Both the driver and the woman inside the home had burns on their bodies. Tivanian said the man would be detained for questioning once he is medically cleared to do so.
A man drove a Toyota Tacoma through both exterior and interior walls of a home in Bay Park on Dec. 29, 2025, where a woman was found dead with burns. (Courtesy: NBC 7 San Diego)
Early findings led investigators to believe the husband was driving the truck, but he was inside the home by the time officers arrived, Tivanian said.
Much was not yet known, Tivanian said, including the moments leading up to the vehicle crash and what started the fire.
“It’s not clear what the nature of what caused [the woman’s] death — whether she was hit by the truck, deceased naturally, already inside the house or if she passed from some other type of means,” Tivanian said, later adding, “It’s not clear if the crash triggered the fire, if it was set intentionally, we don’t know that yet.”
Homicide investigators are interviewing witnesses and family members to get a better sense of what transpired. They were also working to obtain a search warrant, Tivanian said.
“Right now, we are at a very preliminary stage of this incident.”
A fire started at a home in San Diego’s Bay Park neighborhood after a man drove his car through the home, where a woman believed to be his wife was found dead on Dec. 29, 2025. (Courtesy: NBC 7 San Diego)
It appears the Toyota Tacoma hit the home with such force that it penetrated not just the outside wall but also an interior wall.
Neighbors said they heard a commotion before they came outside to see a chaotic sight.
“I thought I heard a yell, but, you know. It didn’t click until I came out and started seeing everything,” Bang Duong said.
Neighbors said they heard her screaming after the impact.
“I saw a couple other people up there throwing rocks at the windows. Some of the neighbors who were trying to get in there to stop [the driver],” neighbor Glen DeBarge said.
Another neighbor, Nancy Allan, said the community is tight-knit and everyone knows each other. The couple that lived next door had been troubled in recent weeks, she said, and it appeared the husband had moved out.
“I kept looking and, he hadn’t been coming home,” Allan said. “So I got kind of concerned and thinking, ‘Uh oh, what happened?'”
A few days ago, Allan said she saw the man involved in Monday’s incident speeding through the neighborhood.
“Didn’t stop, didn’t wave. And it’s just unlike him, so I thought something’s wrong. Something’s up,” she said.
Duong said he spoke with the woman who lives at the home before Christmas, and she mentioned her husband’s state.
“She didn’t know what was happening with him,” Duong said. “So we’re, you know, we were just hoping, praying that, you know, it’d get all better.”
Ten hours later, the victim remained inside the house while police waited for a search warrant.
The cause of death has still not been determined.
This is a developing story. Details may change as information is released.
