CHESAPEAKE, Va. — A teenager has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection to the car crash that killed a landscaper on May 29, according to the Chesapeake Police Department.
According to police, officers responded around 9:49 a.m. to a serious crash involving a black sedan and a red SUV. Investigators said the sedan was speeding southbound on Johnstown Road when it hit the SUV, which was turning onto Johnstown Road from Britwell Drive.
The crash caused the sedan to leave the roadway and hit 60-year-old Guadalupe Rivera, a landscaper who was working nearby. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The drivers of both vehicles were taken to local hospitals with minor injuries.
19-year-old Synclair Tyrone Mayes was charged with involuntary manslaughter on Thursday in connection to the crash, police say.
Watch previous coverage: Family mourns loss of Guadalupe Rivera, father of eight, landscaper killed in Chesapeake crash
Rivera's brother, Joe, told News 3's Erin Holly in a previous interview that Guadalupe was a kind man who was always willing to help others.
"He was a great person. He was always kind to everybody," he said. "He would talk to anybody, try to help anybody he could."
The loss leaves behind a large family. According to his brother, Guadalupe Rivera had eight children and 33 grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Neighbors around Johnstown Road also raised concerns to Chesapeake Neighborhood Reporter Erin Holly after the crash.
Donald Belew has lived off of Johnstown Road for 35 years and said he is concerned about drivers speeding in the area. He and other neighbors started the memorial for Rivera on the side of Johnstown Road.
"I took it as if it was a family member. I just want people to slow down so that they can get home to their families," Belew said.
Watch previous coverage: Neighbors raise concerns about speeding on Johnstown Road following death of landscaper in Chesapeake crash
VDOT crash data shows there have been 27 car accidents on the portion of Johnstown Road between Battlefield Boulevard and Parker Road between 2017 and January 2026. While 13 of those crashes resulted in injuries, only 2 involved speeding. Those numbers do not include Rivera's death.
Chesapeake Mayor Rick West said he believes more of a police presence would help prevent speeding on Johnstown Road, but acknowledged the department is not fully staffed.
"85 percent of our budget is in personnel. And we really need to have more police officers out there working to deter these speeders," West said.
This incident is still under investigation by the Chesapeake Police Department's Crash Reconstruction Team.
Click here to see how we use AI at WTKR News 3.
