A tractor-trailer driver was 'actively using' TikTok and speeding when he caused a fiery crash that killed 5 people, Arizona authorities say

• A tractor-trailer driver in Arizona was charged with five counts of manslaughter.
• Authorities said he was using TikTok while driving.

A tractor-trailer driver in Arizona was charged with five counts of manslaughter after a "fiery crash," authorities said.

The 36-year-old driver was using TikTok when the collision happened, the Arizona Department of Public Safety alleged in a press release, citing an investigation into the crash.

According to the press release, the driver told officials that while driving on January 12, he received a message on his work tablet and acknowledged it. When he looked back up, traffic had stopped, and he could not stop his tractor in time to avoid a collision, the Arizona Department of Public Safety said in the news release.

The agency said that five people died as a result of the crash and that "immediately following the collision, troopers suspected driver distraction as a possible factor in the collision."

Officials allege that the driver was going 68 miles per hour in a 55 miles-per-hour construction zone and was "actively using the TikTok application on his cell phone at the time of the collision."

He was arrested Thursday and charged with five counts of manslaughter, four counts of endangerment, and one count of tampering with physical evidence.

It was not immediately clear if the driver has legal representation.