The medical examiner identified two men who died in separate traffic accidents over the weekend.
A 43-year-old moped rider who died Sunday after rear-ending a pickup in Kalihi was identified as Dennis Tungpalan, 43, of Honolulu.
Tungpalan died at the scene after he crashed a moped into a Ford F-150 in the 1530 block of Hala Drive at about 8 a.m.
Police said the driver of the truck, a 58-year-old Kalihi man, reversed his truck out of a driveway and left it in the road to close his gate. The moped struck the truck after the driver got back in, police said.
The medical examiner also identified a 32-year-old man who died Saturday after crashing his motorcycle on an H-1 freeway offramp near Honolulu Airport and then falling off the ramp, police said.
Raheem Terry, 32, of Honolulu died at the scene.
He was driving a 2013 Harley-Davidson westbound on the H-1 when he crashed at the top of the ramp at about 4:50 a.m. and fell to a lower ramp, police said.
Paramedics said he was wearing a helmet.
Autopsies are pending on both men.
The deaths were the 25th and 26th traffic fatalities on Oahu this year, compared with 27 at this time last year.
Man released in Hauula house fire
A 41-year-old man arrested Saturday in connection with a fire that caused major damage to a home in Hauula was released after prosecutors declined to file charges, police said.
The man was released Sunday night.
Nine fire companies with 31 firefighters responded to 54-025 Hauula Homestead Road at about 3:50 p.m. Saturday and found smoke coming from the front of a single-story family home, said Honolulu Fire Department Capt. David Jenkins.
Firefighters contained the blaze to the living room and extinguished the fire at 4:07 p.m.
One man was home when the fire erupted and escaped unharmed, Jenkins said. He said a fire investigator determined the fire was intentionally set and turned the case over to police. The fire caused $45,000 in damage.
Police arrested the Hauula man near the fire scene at 5:24 p.m. Saturday on suspicion of arson.
Death cause pending in recent crash
The cause of death is pending tests for two people killed in a head-on collision in Waiahole late Thursday night.
The medical examiner identified the driver and passenger who died when the sports car they were in was hit by a pickup truck that crossed the centerline on Kamehameha Highway near Waiahole Homestead Road.
Mark Matsushima, 55, of Honolulu and Sefilina Gray, 33, of Honolulu were in a 1986 red Corvette heading south when a white 1991 Toyota pickup truck driven by a 21-year-old man heading north crossed into their lane.
Police said the driver of the pickup truck may have been speeding and intoxicated when the collision occurred, and opened a negligent-homicide investigation.
Gray was pronounced dead at the scene. Matsushima died on the way to the Queen’s Medical Center.
The pickup truck driver was taken in serious condition to the hospital.
Police closed Kamehameha Highway for five hours between Waiahole Homestead and Waiahole Valley roads to investigate the accident.
