Milwaukee crash kills unborn child, man sentenced to prison

MILWAUKEE - The man convicted of driving drunk and causing a fiery crash that seriously injured a pregnant woman and caused the death of her unborn child was sentenced to prison on Friday, Aug. 14.

40-year-old Jorge Alvarez Mathuzima had previously pleaded guilty to a felony charge of 1st-degree reckless homicide, death of unborn child, and a misdemeanor charge of operating while intoxicated (causing injury). Two other felony charges were dismissed and read in.

On Friday, a judge sentenced Alvarez Mathuzima to 17 years in prison and eight years of extended supervision.

Crash and court proceedings | October 2025

The backstory:

A Milwaukee man is accused of driving drunk and causing a fiery crash that seriously injured a pregnant woman and caused the death of her unborn child on Sunday, Oct. 26.

Prosecutors charged 39-year-old Jorge Alvarez Mathuzima with first-degree reckless homicide (unborn child), homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle (unborn child), first-degree reckless injury and operating while intoxicated (causing injury).

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Alvarez Mathuzima appeared in court Friday, and his bond was set at $100,000. He's due back in court for a preliminary hearing on Nov. 5.

In a statement, Milwaukee County Sheriff Denita Ball said: "The MCSO offers condolences to the victim and commends the deputy sheriffs who, in the presence of grave and unknown dangers – a burning vehicle, and an impaired driver – put themselves in harm’s way. Absent their quick thinking and decisive actions, the outcome of this tragic crash could have been even worse."

Crash on I-43 | Oct. 26

The backstory:

The crash happened around 4:30 a.m. The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office said a deputy was on patrol, driving north on I-43 toward the Marquette Interchange, when Alvarez Mathuzima drove the wrong way past the squad.

As Alvarez Mathuzima approached Greenfield Avenue, investigators said he crashed into another vehicle. It caused the other vehicle to roll over onto its roof and catch fire.

Several sheriff's deputies converged on the crash. One deputy secured Alvarez Mathuzima and then helped another deputy who was struggling to open the driver's door of the overturned SUV, which was stuck closed from the damage.

Deputies were eventually able to pull the door open and pull out the driver, a 33-year-old pregnant woman. The woman suffered a severe laceration, a fractured rib, a broken nose and a broken hip, among other injuries.

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Milwaukee County Sheriff's deputies rescue a pregnant woman, pulling her from her burning vehicle after a wrong-way crash on I-43. Her unborn child would later die. NOTE: The video is censored, but viewer discretion is still advised.

The woman was five-and-a-half months pregnant and taken to a hospital, where investigators said she later learned her unborn child had died. Alvarez Mathuzima was also taken to a hospital, as was a deputy whose hand was punctured while trying to rescue the woman.

Toxicology tests showed Alvarez Mathuzima's blood alcohol content was 0.1569 – nearly twice the legal limit in Wisconsin.

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