Arrest made in 2023 traffic collision that killed Newport Beach man

An arrest was made in a fatal traffic collision that killed John Robert Gilroy in the fall of last year, according to the Newport Beach Police Department.

On Sept. 30, officers responded to the intersection of MacArthur Boulevard and Bowsprit Drive at 4:33 p.m. after a traffic collision was reported. Police found Gilroy, 86, who was declared dead at the scene.

In a news statement Wednesday, the department announced it arrested Andrew Bilat Awad last week on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, following an investigation between local authorities and the Orange County district attorney’s office.

Awad, a 35-year-old Costa Mesa resident, is believed to have engaged in a street race prior to the collision, officials said.

No plea has been entered, according to court records, but Awad is expected for a pretrial settlement conference at the West Justice Center on June 21.