On September 30, 2023, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, at approximately 3:44 AM, police in Bellville, Washington, received a call reporting a severe vehicle collision at the intersection of Highway 108 and Highway 520. Police quickly responded, and despite their familiarity with frequent traffic incidents, the scene that confronted them was uniquely shocking.

Long skid marks stretched across the road, and thick concrete barriers along the roadside were destroyed. They discovered a white 2020 Porsche 911 overturned, the vehicle almost completely demolished, its roof crushed, and white smoke emitting from beneath.

Rescuers eventually extricated the female driver and a male passenger from the wreckage. The male passenger, later identified as Lu Yuabao (27), an engineer at TikTok, was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The female driver, Yue Ching (26), a programmer at Apple, was injured and rushed to Harborview Medical Center. Police immediately theorized the cause of the tragedy was the driver’s poor judgment, citing preliminary evidence pointing to the primary cause of the fatal incident.

Both victims were young Chinese citizens with promising careers ahead of them. The alleged actions of driving under the influence and at excessive speed ended one life and left the other’s status uncertain.

The police concluded that this was not a complicated or mysterious criminal case. They initially determined the young female driver would pay a heavy price for her mistake, marking the incident as a bitter tragedy and a stark reminder to the public against speeding and intoxicated driving.

However, the story did not end with that initial conclusion. Before the local court could issue an arrest warrant, the female driver mysteriously vanished from the hospital.

The Chinese online community soon circulated rumors that the driver, overwhelmed by fear, had quickly fled back to China. Furthermore, a friend of the victim revealed that Yue Ching had gone to great lengths to conceal her boyfriend’s passing.

She allegedly lied to friends and family that her boyfriend was fine while secretly arranging her escape by exchanging US dollars for Chinese yuan in WeChat groups. More shockingly, her refusal to cooperate with police regarding the deceased forced authorities to confirm the victim’s identity through other means, resulting in the victim’s parents learning of their son’s passing much later.

These revelations transformed the traffic accident into a widely discussed international topic within the North American Chinese community. The attention stemmed not only from the severity of the accident and the driver’s sudden flight but also from the fact that the driver was a known internet personality.

Yue Ching was young, attractive, had graduated from a prestigious university, and often flaunted her luxurious lifestyle on social media. All these factors played a critical role in the public outcry that followed.

The Accident Details and The Fugitive’s Escape

According to the official accident investigation certificate signed by the police on October 5, the accident occurred around 3:44 AM on Saturday, September 30. Yue Ching was driving a white 2020 Porsche 911 with Lu Yuabao as her passenger, heading from downtown Bellville, Washington, toward Highway 520.

Yue Ching was driving at a speed of approximately 145 km/h (90 mph) on Highway 108. Upon entering Highway 520, she lost control, and the vehicle collided with the concrete road barrier at high speed.

The vehicle then spun multiple times, flew over a lake, struck the side of a bridge, and ultimately landed in the grassy area beside Highway 520. When police and firefighters arrived, the vehicle was severely damaged, and the driver’s side door was the only way out for the two occupants.

Yue Ching was first rescued, followed by Lu Yuabao, who had to be cut free from his seatbelt but was pronounced deceased at the scene. While treating Yue Ching’s injuries, a firefighter named Andrew noted a strong odor of alcohol on her breath, a fact later confirmed by Medic Sangwaya.

Yue Ching was transported to Harborview Medical Center, and police quickly secured a search warrant to obtain a report on her blood alcohol content (BAC). Traffic cameras recorded the moment of the collision and the vehicle’s state near the intersection of 112th Avenue and 24th Street before the accident area.

Based on the footage, Washington Police Officer Negrun determined that Yue Ching was traveling at 92 mph (148 km/h) on 112th Avenue and approximately 94 mph (151 km/h) on Highway 108. After losing control, the vehicle spun sideways, colliding with the concrete barrier at no less than 91 mph (146 km/h), leaving clear tire marks at the scene.

Officer Negrun also noted that the road was dry at the time, and Yue Ching’s vehicle did not hit anything before striking the barrier. The speed limit on both 112th Avenue and Highway 108 was 30 mph (48 km/h).

Yue Ching’s speed was nearly three times the posted limit. Her survival was deemed miraculous. The evidence was sufficient for the prosecution to suspect Yue Ching of violating RCW 46.61.524, concerning Vehicular Homicide.

The prosecutor’s office requested an arrest warrant, suggesting bail be set at $2 million USD (approximately Php116 million). The court approved the prosecutor’s request on October 9, and an arrest warrant was issued.

However, when Washington police arrived at the hospital with the warrant, they discovered Yue Ching had checked herself out and her whereabouts were unknown. The social media rumors about the Apple programmer fleeing back to China quickly gained traction.

The viral attention intensified when people claiming to be the victim’s friends revealed Yue Ching’s extreme selfishness. She had not only refused to provide information to the police but had also concealed Lu Yuabao’s passing from his own family for two weeks.

The ICU Exit and The Unbelievable Flight

Police later confirmed that on October 2, detectives visited the hospital to conduct an initial interview with Yue Ching. Police video footage showed Yue Ching in the emergency room, bandaged from her armpit to her wrist, wearing a neck brace, and having a tube in her nose for breathing.

Her voice was weak and halting, yet she was fully conscious and immediately requested a lawyer before answering any questions (invoking her Miranda Rights). The interview was terminated when she invoked her rights. Given her severe injuries, the police did not believe she was capable of leaving the hospital anytime soon.

This miscalculation allowed Yue Ching the opportunity she needed. On October 27, Bellville police officially confirmed that Yue Ching had successfully fled to China, and they initiated an international search.

A public information officer clarified that Yue Ching was transported from Seattle to Vancouver, Canada, and from there, boarded a long-haul flight back to China. The individual who assisted her transportation remains under investigation and will face severe legal consequences.

The police explained that they did not post a guard at her hospital bedside because the arrest warrant had not yet been issued, and they simply did not anticipate that a patient with such severe injuries would attempt to flee. Yue Ching’s willingness to travel across the US-Canada border and endure a long flight back to China in her severely injured state demonstrated her complete awareness of the legal penalty she faced in the US.

In Washington State, vehicular homicide is a Class A felony, typically carrying a sentence of 6.5 to 8.5 years for first-time offenders. In contrast, intoxicated driving resulting in a fatal accident in China is categorized as a traffic accident crime, potentially resulting in a sentence of less than three years.

This vast difference in punishment suggests that Yue Ching was likely advised to prioritize her immediate flight. Despite the lack of an extradition treaty, US authorities continue to demand her return to face justice, ensuring that the tragedy of Lu Yuabao does not become an unpunished international evasion of accountability.