Driver who killed Joseph Careaga in North Kitsap crash sentenced to 9.5 years



KINGSTON, Wash. -- A Silverdale woman was sentenced today to serve 9 and a half years in prison after a Kitsap County jury convicted her of Vehicular Homicide and Vehicular Assault in the death of 20-year-old Joseph Careaga.  

The judge sentenced Sydnee Olson to 115 months for Count 1 and 20 months for Count 2 but they are to be served concurrently. 

The Careaga family was already devastated after a quadruple murder in early 2017 when Joseph was killed in June of 2018. 

He was was a passenger in a car driven by the then 19-year-old woman when she crashed at a high rate of speed. 

Joseph died when the Audi he was riding in caught fire following the collision with a Subaru Outback early in the 30400 block of Hansville Road NE at the intersection with NE Little Boston in North Kitsap.  The female driver was able to exit the vehicle but Careaga was trapped inside.   Arriving sheriff’s deputies used portable fire extinguishers to subdue the flames without success. The vehicle fire was extinguished by North Kitsap Fire and Rescue emergency crews.

The female driver was treated at the scene for injuries, then transported by medic unit to Harrison Medical Center, Bremerton.  The driver of the Subaru was airlifted by helicopter to Seattle.

As part of the investigation sheriff’s traffic investigators will determine if alcohol or drug impairment was a factor in the cause of the collision.  The Kitsap County Coroner determined Careaga died from blunt force trauma to the head and abdomen.

In early 2017, his father, John Careaga, stepmother Chrystale Careaga, 16-year-old Hunter Schaap, and his 16-year-old brother, Johnathon Higgins, were all murdered. No arrest has been made in the case.

Detectives say Joseph Careaga's death is in no way related to the murders of his father and the rest of his family.

There is a $20,000 reward being offered for tips to solve their murders.  If you have any information, send a tip to Crime Stoppers via the P3 Tips App on your smartphone or by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). You can also submit it at www.P3Tips.com. It is anonymous.