MESILLA, N.M. — A franchise owner of Jersey Mike’s Subs was killed early Saturday morning in a single-vehicle crash in Mesilla, according to the Mesilla Marshals Office.
Authorities say the crash occurred around 2:30 a.m. near a park on Calle de El Paso. When deputies arrived, they found a white BMW near a water fountain with the driver—identified as David Leyva of Albuquerque—inside the vehicle.
Leyva, who owned Jersey Mike’s locations in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, was visiting the Las Cruces store at the time of the incident.
According to a traffic investigator, Leyva was heading south on Calle de El Paso when he failed to navigate a curve, struck a curb, and went airborne. The vehicle overturned three times before coming to rest on the lawn of the town’s park.
Investigators say Leyva was speeding above the posted 35 mph limit and was not wearing a seatbelt. Mesilla firefighters attempted life-saving measures, but Leyva died inside the ambulance.
Toxicology results are pending and will be reviewed as part of the ongoing investigation.
Jersey Mike’s operates more than 3,100 locations nationwide, including 12 in New Mexico.
