Police say crash of stolen car results in year's first two roadway deaths
SAN JOSE >> A fiery high-speed crash involving a stolen car Jan. 27 in South San Jose ended in the deaths of two passengers and the arrest of the teen boy behind the wheel, police said.
The fatal collision, which involved one vehicle, marked the city's first two traffic deaths of 2023, following a year that set multiple records for roadway fatalities.
The crash was reported at 4:20 a.m. on northbound Cottle Road near the on-ramp to Blossom Hill Road, according to a San Jose police news release. An initial investigation found that three people were in a 2018 Hyundai sedan that was traveling “at a high rate of speed” when the driver lost control and went off the roadway, causing the car to hit a light pole.
“The collision caused the vehicle to immediately burst into flames,” police said.
A male passenger died at the scene, and a female passenger died at a hospital later in the day. Their names were not publicly released pending their formal identification and notification of their next of kin by the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner's Office.
Police said the driver, described only as an underage boy, suffered non-life- threatening injuries and was later booked into Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall on suspicion of two counts of vehicular manslaughter and one count of driving a stolen vehicle.
The Hyundai was reported stolen Jan. 26 to the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office, according to authorities.
In 2022, San Jose set grim milestones with 65 total traffic deaths and 33 pedestrian deaths, which both set modern records for the city. The first traffic death in 2022 was reported Jan. 3; by this point last year, the city had recorded 10 traffic deaths.
Anyone with information about the Jan. 27 fatal collision can contact the SJPD traffic investigations unit at 408-277-4654 or email Detective Matt Templeman at 3556@sanjoseca.gov. Tips also can be left with Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at 408-947-7867 or at svcrimestoppers.org.