Street racing blamed in fatal NM 528 crash that killed Rio Rancho man, injured two others

A Rio Rancho man died and two others were seriously injured April 4 after police say he and another driver were racing at high speed on NM Highway 528 — a stretch where one of them had already been stopped for speeding that same morning — when he lost control and slammed into a turning vehicle at Corrales Road.

The deceased driver was identified in the report as Noah Lawrence C De Baca, 24, of Albuquerque. According to the report, C De Baca and a second driver had been stopped together at the NM 528 and Northern Blvd. intersection when the light turned green. Both vehicles accelerated rapidly, with C De Baca’s tires spinning out as the vehicles raced. At the Corrales Road intersection, C De Baca’s 2004 Infiniti G35 struck a 2012 Subaru that was turning east onto Corrales Road. The Infiniti rolled multiple times before coming to rest on its passenger side on the dirt shoulder east of the roadway. A third vehicle traveling southbound sustained minor damage from flying debris.

Multiple witnesses told officers the Infiniti was traveling an estimated 100 to 120 mph at the time of impact. C De Baca was pronounced dead at the scene. His passenger sustained serious injuries and was extracted by Rio Rancho Fire and Rescue before being transported to University of New Mexico Hospital. A family friend reported on social media that she suffered three broken vertebrae, a broken arm and broken ankles, and underwent back surgery the day of the crash. The Subaru’s driver was transported to Presbyterian Rust Medical Center with a possible broken foot and neck injuries. The passenger’s father told The 528 his daughter’s injuries were even more severe.

The father said his daughter had 5 fractures on her spine, a shattered femur bone, a broken ankle and suffered internal bleeding from her kidneys and liver.

“Hs her forehead was peeled where you can see her skull,” the father wrote in an email to The 528. “She’s had multiple surgeries since the accident. She’s still in the ICU.”

The second driver remained at the scene and admitted to officers that both he and C De Baca had been traveling at high speed — an account consistent with statements from multiple witnesses. The crash report lists excessive speed as a contributing factor for both vehicles. 

A supplemental report notes that the second driver had been issued a written warning for speeding — 46-47 mph in a construction zone on NM 528 near Frontage Road — approximately one hour before the fatal crash. No charges are listed in the crash report. The incident remains under investigation, with a full crash reconstruction pending.