Victim of fatal bridge crash IDd as S.F. man

A motorcyclist who allegedly fled from officers during a traffic stop and fatally crashed on the Bay Bridge was identified Wednesday as a San Francisco resident.

Jose Vargas, 36, died at San Francisco General Hospital on Tuesday morning following a short pursuit on Interstate 80, according to the San Francisco medical examiner’s office and California Highway Patrol.

The crash shut down multiple lanes on the bridge during the morning rush hour, snarling traffic for hours.

A CHP motorcycle officer tried to pull Vargas over in the right lane around 7:35 a.m. Tuesday for failing to show a license plate and traveling at a high speed, authorities said Wednesday.

The officer pulled up on Vargas’ left side without activating his sirens and asked him to pull over at the next stop, said Bert Diaz, a CHP spokesman.

Instead, Vargas allegedly took off and crossed over four lanes to the left side of the roadway, crashing into the back of a box truck near the Fremont Street off-ramp. Vargas might have lost control of his motorcycle, Diaz said.

“The officer was never in a position to make an enforcement stop because of the speed,” Diaz said.

Officials said an offduty CHP officer pulled over when the crash occurred, performing first aid until paramedics arrived.

Investigators later discovered that Vargas did not have a motorcycle license and are still looking into why he evaded the traffic stop, Diaz said.

Traffic backed up for several hours past the toll plaza on the Oakland side of the bridge as officials cleared the scene.