A crash that killed a longtime Las Vegas Valley teacher involved a motorist driving 103 mph in a 45 mph zone, a prosecutor said Thursday.
The motorist, Zachary Zwick, 28, appeared in front of Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Pro Tem William Jansen on Thursday where the judge raised Zwick’s bail to $100,000, up from a previously set $10,000. Zwick, who had been out of custody, was handcuffed and taken to the Clark County Detention Center.
Prosecutor Sammy Carey Lamb said Zwick was driving recklessly at the time of the May 22 crash that killed Jeff Buchbaum, 55, of Las Vegas, on Boulder Highway near Russell Road. Lamb asked Jansen to set bail at $250,000.
“Car data was pulled that showed the defendant well exceeded the speed limit,” Lamb said. “The speed limit was 45 miles per hour. The defendant was driving 103 miles per hour.”
Zwick’s attorney, Augustus Claus, argued that under the law, prosecutors did not have legal grounds to ask for a higher bail because the facts of the case were known when the lower bail amount was put in place in May.
Zwick is charged with two felony counts of reckless driving 50 mph over the speed limit resulting in death in a pedestrian safety zone. Authorities said he was behind the wheel of a 2025 Hyundai that slammed into a Chrysler Pacifica driven by Buchbaum.
Buchbaum was attempting to turn left onto southbound Boulder Highway at the time of the 11:33 a.m. crash.
Buchbaum was taken to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center where he died. His wife, Jennifer Boske, was a passenger in the van and was seriously injured.
Police said Zwick may have been racing another motorist at the time. Zwick told police he did not remember what happened, and police said he showed no signs of impairment. He had left his job at a local auto parts store shortly before the crash.
One witness told police he was driving in the area of Boulder Highway and Galleria Drive shortly before the crash when he saw a truck speed past him. The witness also saw a Hyundai fly by.
Police said the witness accounts, video and physical evidence at the crash scene led them to believe Zwick was speeding and was “possibly engaged in a speed contest with another vehicle.”
Zwick, police said, received a citation for following too closely in 2019. In January 2022 he received a citation for “exhibition of power/speed” and having an open container in his vehicle, police said. Later in 2022, he was also cited for speeding 11 to 20 mph over the speed limit, police said.
Buchbaum taught at multiple schools in Southern Nevada in a career spanning more than two decades.
Jeff Buchbaum’s first job with the district was with Mojave High School in 2003, according to online Nevada Department of Education records. When he died, he was a teacher at Cunningham Elementary School, a school district spokesperson said.
Contact Glenn Puit at gpuit@reviewjournal.com.
