Motorcyclist Irma Elizabeth Oxlaj Vargas Dead in Highway 101 Collision [Palo Alto, CA]

Palo Alto, CA (August 22, 2026) – Irma Elizabeth Oxlaj Vargas, a 38-year-old from Redwood City, was killed in a Highway 101 collision Thursday morning.

CHP said it was around 6 a.m. when Vargas was traveling in the right lane of the southbound freeway, when a car suddenly struck her motorcycle and fled the scene.

Responding authorities located Vargas on the roadway, at the transition lane from University Avenue to Highway 101, and declared her dead.

Investigating officers found the license plate from hit-and-run vehicle, that was later traced to an Acura TL.

Police found the suspect’s vehicle abandoned on Leota Avenue near Vargas Elementary School, and they determined its driver, Julian Adame Jr., 18, of Kingsburg.

According to the police report, Adame Jr had fled to Cutler in Tulare County after the fatal crash. They arrested him around noon the same day and booked him  into the San Mateo County jail on the felony charges.

Troopers are investigating if drugs or alcohol was a factor in the deadly collision.

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Sweet Lawyers extend their deepest condolences to the family and friends of Irma Elizabeth Oxlaj Vargas during this heartbreaking time.

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