An undocumented immigrant, previously charged with DUI offenses and facing deportation orders in 2023, has emerged as the primary suspect in a tragic head-on crash that claimed the life of an 8-year-old girl in California over the weekend, according to authorities.

Brayan Josue Alva-Rodriguez, a 25-year-old citizen of Guatemala, is under investigation for his involvement in the fatal accident that occurred in the community of Julian, located in San Diego County, as reported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The devastating crash unfolded shortly after 3 p.m. on a rural stretch of the two-lane county Highway S-2, resulting in the girl’s death while leaving several others injured, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Federal authorities have identified Alva-Rodriguez, previously charged with two DUIs and ordered to be deported from the United States, as a suspect in the incident that led to the fiery crash and the young girl’s untimely death.

The California Highway Patrol reported that the crash occurred when the driver of a 2005 Toyota Tacoma, traveling north, crossed over the solid double-yellow line. This maneuver placed the truck in the southbound lane, directly colliding head-on with a Toyota Camry.

The Tacoma then struck a Ford F-350 pulling a utility trailer that was also traveling north, officials said.

The Tacoma eventually overturned and caught fire, the newspaper reported.

Fire crews were able to extricate one victim trapped in a vehicle and extinguish the blaze, Cal Fire spokesperson Capt. Mike Cornette told the paper. Two people in the Tacoma were able to exit the truck on their own, he said.

Five patients were airlifted to hospitals by four helicopters, and three others were transported by ambulance, Cornette said.

Three children in the back of the Camry were taken to a children’s hospital. Two boys, ages 5 and 4, survived, but a girl succumbed to her injuries.

Alva-Rodriguez illegally entered the United States on Feb. 8, 2018, and was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents in Calexico, California. He was issued a notice to appear before an immigration judge and released, ICE said.

While in immigration proceedings, he was charged with two DUIs on Sept. 6, 2020, and April 7, 2021, according to the agency. On March 16, 2023, an immigration judge ordered him deported.

However, Alva-Rodriguez failed to leave the U.S. as ordered, authorities said.

“Now an innocent life has been lost in a tragedy that could have been prevented,” ICE said in a statement.

ICE said an immigration detainer will be placed on him once he is formally charged. Fox News Digital has reached out to the California Highway Patrol.