Ozaukee County fatal wrong-way crash; driver criminally charged
Couple killed in wrong-way crash, man charged
A man has been criminally charged in the wrong-way crash in Ozaukee County that killed an Oostburg couple and left their daughter seriously injured.
OZAUKEE COUNTY, Wis. - A Milwaukee man has been criminally charged in the wrong-way crash in Ozaukee County that killed an Oostburg couple and left their daughter seriously injured.
34-year-old Ace Vue has been charged with two counts of 1st-degree reckless homicide and one count of 1st-degree reckless injury.
Vue was also injured in the crash and treated at a local hospital, and was released from the hospital without the sheriff's office being notified.
Ace Vue
The Ozaukee County Sheriff's Office said he was arrested at his South Milwaukee home and is in custody.
911 calls come in
What we know:
According to the criminal complaint, on May 26, 2025, just after 12:30 a.m., an Ozaukee County sheriff's deputy was dispatched to the area of mile marker 110 on I-43 in the Town of Belgium for multiple 911 for a wrong-way driver.
Multiple 911 calls also came in, identifying a red sedan that was speeding and swerving. Sheboygan County also got a 911 call about a wrong-way driver near mile marker 113.
Port Washington police officers soon saw the vehicle traveling southbound in the northbound lanes near the County Highway H overpass. Officers then reported the head-on crash.
Crash scene
What we know:
The complaint goes on to say that officers saw a vehicle, a Red Lexus IS, in the northbound lanes with severe front-end damage. All airbags had deployed. First responders extricated the driver, Ace Vue, out of the vehicle and took him to the hospital for treatment of serious injuries.
The other vehicle, a blue Ford Escape, was in the median. It also had substantial, "devastating" damage. The passenger had already died, and the driver died before first responders could remove them from the vehicle. The rea seat passenger was extricated and taken to the hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries.
A witness told authorities that he was traveling north on I-43 when he saw the red Lexus drive past him going southbound in the other lane, and then continued to drive southbound in between the lanes, when it crashed into the blue Ford. The witness said the Ford attempted to swerve out of the way, but was unsuccessful.
Wrong-way crash on I-43 near Port Washington
Dashcam footage
What we know:
The complaint goes on to say that the vehicle Ace Vue was driving, the red Lexus, was equipped with front and rear-facing dashcams.
Investigators reviewed the video, and found that initially the vehicle entered the freeway in the correct lanes in Sheboygan County. It then got off at Exit 100 in Port Washington, turned around, and got back on I-43 northbound in the correct lanes. At one point, the vehicle drove through the grass median. It did a U-turn on the freeway near Cedar Grove, and started traveling southbound in the northbound lanes.
The dashcam recorded speeds in excess of 100 mph, and several other drivers were seen flashing their lights and honking their horns, with many swerving to avoid a collision. At the moment of the crash, Vue's vehicle was traveling at 92 mph.
Investigation continues
What we don't know:
Ozaukee County Sheriff Christy Knowles told FOX6 it does appear that drugs and/or alcohol may have been a contributing factor. However, the sheriff's office does not have those results yet.
In 2020, Vue was cited for unreasonable and imprudent speed in Milwaukee County.
Oostburg couple killed (previous reporting)
What we know:
Ozaukee County wrong-way driver crash; Oostburg couple killed
We are learning new information about the victims of a wrong-way crash in Ozaukee County.
A family member tells FOX6 News Jay, 56, and Nicole Horne, 51, were killed, and their daughter was seriously hurt in the wreck that happened in Ozaukee County.
A family member said her brother and his wife were picking up their daughter at the airport – and were just a couple miles from home when the crash happened.
What they're saying:
"No way. Those are my first words. I can remember just yelling, no way," said Pauline Heyman, a family member.
Heyman got a call that shattered her world.
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Jay and Nicole Horne
"He is gone. He is physically gone from my world," Heyman said.
Her brother, Jay Horne, was killed in the crash around 12:30 a.m. on Monday. His wife, Nicole, also died. Their 22-year-old daughter, Allissa, was in the back seat and was seriously hurt.
"Somebody was going the wrong way. Somebody made a mistake. A mistake that caused the lives of two people and almost a third," Heyman said.
"I have a niece and nephew that have to bury their mom and dad," Heyman said.
Heyman said Allissa suffered two broken femurs, a broken ankle and wrist. She has been in and out of surgery.
Jay and Nicole Horne
"Physically, she can be put back together. And she can heal. Mentally, is another issue. It’s going to take longer. And that’s where we need everybody to step up for this family. Because they lost their mom and dad," Heyman said.
Heyman told FOX6 News Nicole and Jay were married for 27 years.
A GoFundMe online fundraiser was set up.
There is also a fundraiser planned for the family on Friday, June 13. Learn more about this event.
The Source: FOX6 previously reported on the fatal crash. FOX6 also requested and received the criminal complaint from the Ozaukee County District Attorney's Office.