Driver told police she was lost, on GPS when her collision killed man on Lake St. sidewalk

A driver from the suburbs said she was lost and looking at her GPS when she made a sudden U-turn and caused a collision that killed a man on a Minneapolis sidewalk, according to prosecutors.

Melissa Oft Johnson, 39, of Eden Prairie, was charged Tuesday in Hennepin County District Court with gross misdemeanor criminal vehicular operation and other counts in connection with the crash on March 13, 2024, that killed 64-year-old Manuel Antonio Yupa Tenesaca, of New Brighton.

Johnson was charged by summons and is due in court on Jan. 14. Court records do not list an attorney for her. The Minnesota Star Tribune has reached out to Johnson for a response to the allegations.

According to the criminal complaint:

A witness said Johnson’s minivan was heading west on Lake Street around 2:35 p.m. when it turned left onto southbound Columbus Avenue and hit an SUV heading east on Lake. The SUV jumped the curb and struck Yupa Tenesaca on the sidewalk.

Yupa Tenesaca suffered a skull fracture, internal bleeding and broken ribs. He died on May 16 at HCMC.

The SUV driver told police that he tried to avoid hitting the minivan while it was turning in front of him.

She acknowledged that “she was looking at her GPS, and she could not recall if she was holding her cellphone” at the time of the crash," the charges read. She said she tried to speed up to avoid hitting the SUV.

Surveillance video showed Johnson “making a rapid southbound turn towards Columbus Avenue” before hitting the SUV, the charges noted.