MESA, AZ (AZFamily) — A Tesla involved in a deadly crash on Loop 202 in Mesa last year was in self-driving mode when it suddenly came to an unexplained stop, according to a recent filing.
Jason Key, a father of two, was killed in the crash.
What the filing shows
The crash happened early on Halloween morning near Dobson Road. Troopers said a pickup truck struck the Tesla from behind after it stopped on the freeway. Key, 47, died in the crash.
Few details were released at the time.
The stop is connected to a broader Tesla issue known as phantom braking. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched a formal investigation into the issue in 2022 after receiving more than 350 complaints about Tesla vehicles experiencing unexpected braking while in Autopilot.
NHTSA confirmed it ended its review in July after Tesla said it released software updates. The number of reported incidents declined to 19 in 2025, the same year the driver was killed.
Redacted information
Tesla redacted portions of the report it submitted to NHTSA, including the crash narrative and whether the vehicle was on Autopilot.
In a letter to NHTSA, Tesla wrote: “The marked information contained in the submission is proprietary, confidential, and otherwise not publicly available, and has been labeled accordingly.”
John Nohinek, an attorney with Witherite Law Group who handles cases involving autonomous vehicles, said Tesla’s redactions make it difficult to determine how and why a crash happened.
“The biggest thing that stands out is Tesla’s reluctance to share the actual information about the vehicle that was involved in the wreck,” Nohinek said. “Tesla and other companies saying this is confidential and proprietary information. They think it’ll give a competitive disadvantage to themselves if they reveal this information.”
Nohinek said the redacted information includes what the vehicle went through, what the software sensed, any warnings and why the sudden stop occurred.
“I believe the delay is purposeful,” Nohinek said.
Asked whether the crash is an isolated incident or part of a larger problem, Nohinek said, “I think it’s part of a larger problem.”
“We don’t get independent groups testing the safety of these vehicles and basically, they’re putting these vehicles on the public roads without adequate disclosure and testing and that’s endangering everyone,” Nohinek said.
GoFundMe describes father of two
A GoFundMe set up for Key describes him as “truly one of a kind, the funniest man alive … his energy lit up every room he entered.”
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