Police are investigating a deadly hit-and-run crash in aast San Jose. It happened at a residential intersection after, police say, a driver blew past a stop sign early Wednesday morning.
At about 4:10 a.m. , officers responded to the area of Nieman Boulevard and Daniel Maloney Drive/Elkins Way in the city's Evergreen Valley area on a report of a fatal hit-and-run collision, police said.
According to officers, a black 2017 Chevy Camaro was driving at a high rate of speed northbound on Nieman Boulevard and failed to stop at the stop sign on Daniel Maloney Drive. The Camaro collided with a 2000 white Nissan Frontier pickup truck which was going westbound on Daniel Maloney Drive, police said.
Police noted that the man driving the pickup truck was the only occupant of the vehicle and died at the scene. Police said the Santa Clara County Coroner's Office will confirm the identity of the man who died and release his name upon notifying next-of-kin.
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The driver of the Camaro fled the scene, though police didn't say how this driver did so. The Camaro appeared to have been left at the scene.
After the crash, patrol officers later located and arrested a minor who is believed to be the driver of the Camaro.
"There was enough evidence collected to tie him to the vehicle," explained San Jose Police Officer Tanya Hernandez. "We feel for the victim and the victim’s family at this time, and it's just important to remember that we all have a shared responsibility when we’re out on the road."
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It's the 12th death on San Jose roadways this year, police said.
The force of this crash appeared to knock down a stop sign at that intersection. The toppled stop sign could be seen in photos of the crash underneath the black Camaro. City crews quickly worked to replace the stop sign in the hours following the crash.
Several neighbors near this intersection said they woke up at to the sound of the collision.
Nhi Cai, who has lived in this area for more than three decades, said that while the crash is tragic, it is not surprising to him.
"This happens all the time, every week, accidents all the time," he said.
The intersection is a four-way-stop and Cai noted that many drivers seem to blaze past the stop signs.
"They never stop, they never pay attention to the stop signs," Cai noted, adding that crashed cars have wound up on his property and on his neighbor's properties.
"People don’t see stop sign right there," noted neighbor Ivy Vo.
The City of San Jose Crash Map from 2017 to 2022 shows 19 collisions involving cars at that intersection over that time frame. Of those 19 crashes, nine involved a driver who failed to stop at a stop sign.
Several neighbors told NBC Bay Area they want to see a change to stop these collisions.
"We should have a light—a stop light here," Cai said, noting that several schools are nearby with many kids walking along this intersection.
"I wish they could put a traffic light," Vo said.
NBC Bay Area reached out to the City of San Jose for comment about this crash.
Mayor Matt Mahan said in a statement "We are grieving for the victim, their family and loved ones after today’s fatal collision—one traffic death is one too many, and my office is working closely with the Department of Transportation to keep residents safe and meet our Vision Zero goal.”
In 2015, the City of San Jose committed to Vision Zero, the goal to reduce and eventually end traffic deaths.
"In addition to hundreds of safety improvements across the City, we’re replacing the four-way stop at the intersection of Nieman Boulevard and Daniel Maloney Drive/Elkins Way with a roundabout, which will begin construction in 2025," Mahan continued.
The San Jose Police Department asks that anyone with information on this investigation contact Detective DelliCarpini #4103 of the San José Police Department's Traffic Investigations Unit at 4103@sanjoseca.gov or 408-277-4654.
