JoseAlfredoMorenoRomero

Crews begin to extract a Toyota Highlander from Lake Santeetlah around 5 p.m. Jan. 19, after the SUV crashed into the water during the early morning hours. Jose Alfredo Moreno-Romero, 23, passed away in the accident. Photo by Randy Foster/Community Newspapers, Inc.

Arrest made in fatal crash

Kevin Hensley

Thursday, December 21, 2023

Santeetlah – A nearly 11-month investigation into a fatal SUV crash has resulted in the arrest of a local resident.

Crews begin to extract a Toyota Highlander from Lake Santeetlah around 5 p.m. Jan. 19, after the SUV crashed into the water during the early-morning hours. Jose Alfredo Moreno-Romero, 23, passed away in the accident, while the driver and a rear-seat passenger managed to escape. Photo by Randy Foster/news@grahamstar.com

County rocked by fatal SUV crash into lake

Randy Foster

Thursday, January 26, 2023

In this photo from the Feb. 9, 2017 edition of The Graham Star, Freddy Romero erupts in jubilation after securing the state dual-team, championship-clinching pin for the Robbinsville Black Knights. Romero was honored before Jan. 19’s match against Swain County and Andrews.

An SUV was pulled from Lake Santeetlah around 5 p.m. today, after crashing into the water overnight. The N.C. Highway Patrol confirmed to The Graham Star on Thursday evening that 23-year-old Robbinsville resident Jose Alfredo Moreno-Romero passed away in the accident. Photo by Randy Foster/news@grahamstar.com

Local man passes away, two survive wreck into Lake Santeetlah

Randy Foster

Thursday, January 19, 2023

Lake Santeetlah – A Robbinsville man was killed – but two others survived – when an SUV crashed into Lake Santeetlah off Thunderbird Mountain Road early Thursday morning.