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Drivers sought in fatal hit-and-run crashes of unhoused women in San Jose
San Jose police officials, Monday, said two South Bay women were killed over the weekend by hit & run drivers. Investigators have asked the public’s help in identifying potential suspects.
SAN JOSE, Calif. - San Jose police are searching for the drivers involved in two separate hit-and-run collisions that left two unhoused women dead, authorities said.
Sgt. Jorge Garibay of the San Jose Police Department stressed the importance of drivers remaining at the scene after striking someone or an object, saying, "It's important, if you hit something or someone, to always pull over."
Investigators said two different drivers failed to pull over after striking pedestrians over the weekend.
The first fatal collision occurred on Friday, when a woman was hit by a silver Dodge Ram pickup truck while crossing South White Road near Buckner Road.
Following that incident, Kao Khok, owner of a nearby donut shop, expressed concern, saying, "They gotta get some kind of signage or something. Because this is like the third or fourth time something like this has happened here."
The next day, another woman was struck while on the West Capitol Expressway overpass of Monterey Road. The driver involved in that incident also fled the scene, and the victim lost her life.
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Police investigate deadly hit-and-run in San Jose
The San Jose Police Department initially announced that a pedestrian had sustained a major injury in the crash. However, shortly thereafter, they provided an update stating that the pedestrian, identified as a woman, had succumbed to her injuries.
Investigators noted that in both cases, the pedestrians were unhoused women who were crossing outside designated crosswalks.
Pastor Scott Wagers of CHAM Deliverance Ministry, which provides outreach to unhoused residents in Santa Clara County, said, "You run over a homeless person, shame on you. Who are you? What kind of person are you?"
Investigators urged both drivers and pedestrians to be mindful of potential hazards.
Garibay emphasized the importance of using marked crosswalks, stating, "I know sometimes it's not always ideal to use a crosswalk. But it's important to use them because that is where most drivers are looking for pedestrians to be crossing the street."
However, advocates for the unhoused community believe that a driver leaving the scene of a collision reflects more than just potential criminal behavior.
"Incidents like that, you know when I was coming up, were less frequent. And certainly, people leaving them to die on the street or caring less, we've seen the last few years this kind of thing is an epidemic," said Wagers.
San Jose police released surveillance footage from a business in the vicinity of the hit-and-run incident on Friday, hoping that someone may have obtained the license plate number of the silver Dodge Ram pickup involved.
As of now, police have not provided a description of the vehicle or the suspect involved in the hit-and-run collision on Saturday.
Jesse Gary is a reporter based in the station's South Bay bureau. Follow him on Twitter, @JesseKTVU and on Instagram, @jessegontv.