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Man charged in crash that killed 2 teens in Chetwynd

Mounties responded to the collision scene on Highway 97, near Wabi Hill, just after midnight on April 7, 2024. (Handout)
Mounties responded to the collision scene on Highway 97, near Wabi Hill, just after midnight on April 7, 2024. (Handout)

A Fort St. John man is facing multiple charges of impaired and dangerous driving after a 2024 crash that killed two teenagers in the province’s northeast.

The Chetwynd RCMP says the charges against Jaden Christopher Cardinal of Fort St. John were the result of 17 months of investigation.

Court records show Cardinal, born in 2003, has been charged with two counts of dangerous driving causing death and two counts of impaired driving causing death.

Mounties responded to the collision scene on Highway 97, near Wabi Hill, just after midnight on April 7, 2024. Investigators say a black 2001 Dodge 2500 pickup truck and a grey 2011 Ford F-350 had collided head on.

The 19-year-old man who was driving the Dodge, and his passenger, a 15-year-old boy, were pronounced dead at the scene, while the 21-year-old driver of the Ford was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

“Further details about the investigation will not be discussed until the court process is complete,” the RCMP said in a statement Friday.

Cardinal’s next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 27 in Dawson Creek.