The victim of a fatal crash stemming from a street race has been identified as a 62-year-old Aurora man.
Walter Oleksinski died Tuesday night of massive “blunt-force injuries to the head and trunk,” according to the Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office.
Oleksinski was probably heading home about 10 p.m. Tuesday when his 1981 Chevrolet Camaro was slammed by a Jeep Cherokee that was racing a Pontiac G8, Aurora police said.
The two men involved in the race, Benny Sitinjak, 34, and Jose Hernandez-Castellanos, 28, have been charged with Class 3 vehicular homicide. Each is being held in lieu of $50,000 bail, said Aurora police Lt. Charles DeShazer.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Tim Counts said Thursday that the agency had lifted a detainer it had place on one of the men while determining their status.
Street racing has tailed off in the metro area in the past few years, police say, but it remains highly dangerous.
“When you get behind the wheel, in essence, you are putting your foot down on a 2,500-pound bullet,” DeShazer said. “Bad things can happen.”
Trooper David Hall, a spokesman for the Colorado State Patrol, said there are legal and safe outlets for drivers who want to race.
The State Patrol and other law-enforcement agencies sponsor and participate in the patrol’s Take it to the Track program at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, where participants race their cars in a supervised setting.
The popular program runs every Wednesday night.
“It’s an appropriate venue for racing — it’s not going down Peoria Street,” Hall said.
The program is geared mostly toward young drivers, but licensed drivers of any age can participate.
Like DeShazer, Hall warns against the lure and danger of street racing.
“It ranks up there with driving under the influence of alcohol or texting while you’re driving,” Hall said. “It is incredibly dangerous to participate in.”
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com
