Mother and daughter killed in hit-and-run by pickup truck

A woman and her adult daughter were killed Thursday evening when the driver of a pickup truck hit them while they crossed the street. The driver then fled the scene, police said.

The collision was reported at 6:26 p.m. on Ocala Avenue near Oakton Court in East San Jose, according to San Jose police. An initial investigation, and home security and surveillance photos from the area, found that a man driving a red, full-sized pickup truck was westbound on Ocala when he hit the two women, who were in a crosswalk.

Images of the truck and driver released by police indicate that the vehicle resembled a GMC pickup truck with a full cab and a black bed cover.

Police said the driver left the area after the collision and last was seen headed north on Capitol Expressway. The women who were hit were rushed to a hospital, where they died from their injuries.

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.

It was not immediately clear how fast the pickup driver was traveling. The collision occurred in front of a middle school campus and on a street that has a posted speed limit of 35 mph, or 25 when children are present.

The crash marked the 25th and 26th traffic deaths of the year in San Jose, keeping 2022 on pace to become the deadliest year on city roadways, putting the trajectory well above the 25-year peak of 60 deaths reached last year and matched in 2015 and 2019.

At 14 to date, pedestrian deaths account for more than half of the year's roadway deaths. Additionally, Thursday's crash is being investigated as the city's seventh hit-and-run investigation of 2022, according to data compiled by this news organization.

The current pace also has prompted city leaders to advocate for additional traffic enforcement in the form of additional police officers and the prospect of installing speed-recording cameras on the most dangerous thoroughfares and intersections.

Anyone with information about Thursday's collision can contact SJPD traffic Detective Mike O'Brien at 408277-4654 or leave a tip with Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at 408-947-7867 or at svcrimestoppers.org.