Denver police are investigating three fatal crashes, two of which were hit-and-runs, resulting in a total of three deaths early Sunday morning.

The first crash occurred was called in at 3:32 a.m. at the intersection of Speer Boulevard and Colfax Avenue, according to a Denver Police Department spokesperson.

Police said the suspect’s vehicle was located abandoned a short distance away from the crash scene. Authorities later arrested the driver, Jose Hernandez, 22, who faces vehicular homicide charges, according to police.

Police said the crash involved a pedestrian and motorist, to which the pedestrian died as a result.

Eastbound Colfax was closed for the crash investigation.

At 4:01 a.m., police responded to another fatal hit-and-run crash at I-25 and 23rd Avenue, the spokesperson said.

There, police investigate the death of a pedestrian struck by a motorist, authorities said.

Several southbound lanes along I-25 were closed for investigation.

Police said officers then responded to a third crash Sunday at 7:17 a.m. near southbound Interstate 70 and Federal Boulevard. There, a pedestrian died in the crash involving another motorist, who stayed on-scene, according to police.

Sunday’s three crashes follows another fatal hit-and-run crash at around 3 a.m. on Saturday, when a motorist died in a two-vehicle crash at Colorado Boulevard near southbound I-25, before the suspect fled, according to Denver police.

Police said a motorist had exited their vehicle to recover fallen ski equipment, before being struck by another vehicle.

“It’s tragic that 23 people have died this year as a result of traffic crashes, including the three pedestrian fatalities that occurred within a short timeframe early this morning,” a DPD spokesperson told The Denver Gazette in an email Sunday.

“It is also troubling that the motorists in two of the fatal crashes this morning did not remain on scene,” the spokesperson added.

In 2024, 61 total deaths were reported along Denver roadways, a 21% decrease from 2023, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.

Year to date, there have been 26 deaths on Denver roadways, three more than the tally at this time last year, according to the DPD spokesperson.

“While we continue investigating the details of these three crashes, we encourage everyone – motorists, cyclists, pedestrians, etc. – to obey traffic laws and exercise caution to help ensure everyone arrives safely at their destinations,” the spokesperson said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 730-913-7867.

The Denver Gazette has reached out to the Denver Police Department for more information and timelines of both Sunday crashes.