Driver Arrested After Early Morning Roll-Over on Ralston Avenue

Belmont police say intoxication and speeding appear to have led to a solo-vehicle collision early Saturday morning on Ralston Avenue. The driver and four other occupants in the car are all students at Notre Dame de Namur University (NDNU). 

According to Capt. Pat Halleran of the Belmont Police Dept., police and fire units responded to a report of a traffic collision in the 1400 block of Ralston Avenue about 2:15 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 2. Upon arrival, officers found a 2011 Toyota Camry sedan on its roof in the middle of the road. The vehicle was occupied by the five students, who had been on their way back to campus.

Three of the occupants, the 18 year-old driver, a 20 year-old male passenger and an 18 year-old female passenger were treated at the scene by Belmont firefighters, with assistance from firefighters from the San Mateo-Foster City Fire Department. The other two occupants, a male and female, both 18 years old, were transported to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The driver was the only occupant wearing a seatbelt.

Officers determined that the Toyota had been traveling eastbound on Ralston Avenue when it left the roadway as the driver was attempting to negotiate the curve at Chula Vista Drive. The car collided with a cinderblock wall and rolled over, coming to rest in the roadway.

The driver, Saddiq Jami age 18 of Alameda, was arrested at the scene and booked into the San Mateo County Jail on charges of driving under the influence, driving under the influence resulting in injury (a felony) and being under 21 years of age with a blood alcohol over .05 percent.