Tracy man found dead in McDonald’s parking lot ID’d
MOUNTAIN VIEW » William Opeta was working two jobs, sometimes sleeping at the McDonald’s parking lot in Mountain View to avoid a grueling commute from his home in Tracy, when he was found dead, co-workers said.
It’s not yet known whether the long hours or that he sometimes slept in his car contributed to the 28-year- old man’s death. A deputy at the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner- Coroner’s Office said it could take three to four months to finish the autopsy report, and no preliminary cause of death has been released.
Authorities found the Tracy resident around 9: 30 a. m. Dec. 14 at the El Monte Avenue eatery. Opeta had been feeling ill, said a coworker, Evely Vivar, who stopped by a makeshift memorial Wednesday in the back corner of the McDonald’s lot. Police have not released any information about the incident, saying it was still under investigation, though officers have confirmed it’s not a homicide case.
“It’s very sad,” Vivar said. “He told me he hadn’t been feeling well for the past two or three weeks, and then the next day they told me he died.”
Michael Reeser, a former coworker of Opeta’s, suspects his death was from natural causes. Opeta was very involved in his church and was “a clean kid,” Reeser said.
“It’s not going to be a drug overdose or alcohol poisoning,” he said. “It’s going to be natural causes.”
Attempts to reach Opeta’s family were unsuccessful, but Reeser said Opeta would get in around 4:30 a. m. to work the meat counter at a Safeway in Los Altos and then go to a second job as a pizza delivery driver in the afternoon.
Sleeping in a car or van can exacerbate pre- existing medical conditions, said Cheryl Ho, the medical director of the Valley Homeless HealthCare Program, which provides medical outreach to people sleeping outside. Recovering from illnesses is much harder, too, she said.
“If people have any condition like foot swelling or kidney or liver problems, their swelling or those problems get much worse,” Ho said. “Access to proper food is definitely an issue, as well.”
Opeta’s story is not uncommon, said Mountain View Mayor Lenny Siegel. The number of homeless people living in Mountain View increased 51 percent from 2015 to 2017, growing from a population of 276 to 416 during that timeframe, according to the Santa Clara County Homeless Census and Survey. Contrary to what many people may think, Siegel said, the majority of people living in their cars have full-time jobs.
“(Opeta) is typical of a lot of people who work around here,” he said. “This — not the unsightliness of motor-homes parked on our streets — is the tragedy of vehicle dwelling.”