Suspected Drunken Pickup Driver Arrested After Pedestrian Is Killed in Hit and Run at Bernal Road and via Del Oro in San Jose
Police say the driver fled after the collision, then was later found and booked on DUI, vehicular manslaughter, and felony hit and run charges.
SAN JOSE, CA — San Jose police say a suspected drunken driver struck and killed a pedestrian early Sunday, then fled the scene before officers arrived. The collision happened around 2:16 a.m. at Bernal Road and Via Del Oro in South San Jose.
According to police, the driver was behind the wheel of a Chevrolet pickup truck traveling eastbound on Bernal Road when it hit a man who was in the roadway at the intersection. The pedestrian died at the scene. His name has not been released and will be provided by the medical examiner’s office.
What Police Confirmed
Police said they later located the driver and determined he was under the influence of alcohol. He was arrested and booked into jail on suspicion of driving under the influence, vehicular manslaughter, and felony hit and run.
The department said the case is being handled as a preliminary investigation. Officials have not said whether additional people were involved or whether any witnesses have been identified. No court outcome has been announced, and the allegations have not been tested in court.
Crash Location Matters
The crash happened at an intersection in South San Jose that carries steady neighborhood and commuter traffic. Bernal Road is a major east-west route in the area, and Via Del Oro connects nearby residential and business streets. Police said the pedestrian was on Bernal Road at the crossing when he was hit.
The department said the fatal crash added to a growing count of deadly traffic collisions in the city this year. Police reported that it was San Jose’s 26th deadly traffic collision of 2026 and the 12th pedestrian death. Those numbers were provided by police and reflect the department’s tally at the time of the report.
Investigation Continues
Police said the investigation remains open. The medical examiner’s office will release the pedestrian’s identity. Officers have not released further details about the pickup truck’s speed, possible impairment tests, or whether the driver has been formally charged in court.
What happens next is still unclear beyond the jail booking and continuing review by investigators. Any formal filing would move the case into court, but police did not announce a filing date. For now, the incident remains a fatal hit-and-run investigation centered on the Sunday crash at Bernal Road and Via Del Oro.
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