San Jose police release surveillance video of fatal hit-and-run involving unicycle
SAN JOSE, Calif. - San Jose police released new surveillance video of a vehicle they said is involved in the death of a man riding an electric unicycle in San Jose.
Police said, the driver took off after hitting the 52-year-old victim. Family members identify the victim as David Jones of San Jose.
His death is among a high number of pedestrian fatalities in San Jose. It happened on Kooser Road near Carter Avenue. Jones’s family said he died 100 yards from his destination.
Jones’s family said he bought his one-wheeler six months prior and rode it like a pro. They are saddened his life was taken so quickly and senselessly.
"Why can’t this person come forward and take responsibility," said Sheila Scott, the victim’s sister.
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Scott is reacting to just-released surveillance video of a white SUV, police believe to be a BMW or Mercedes. It may hold answers to her only brother’s death.
"I want that person to know that it was a human being," said Scott. "It wasn’t an animal or a paper bag or whatever. It was my brother."
Police said back on May 4, just before 10 p.m., Jones was riding an electric unicycle eastbound on Kooser Road. He was in the middle of the traffic lane when he fell down and was immediately hit by a car, that took off.
"I just saw him and then he said I’ll be back in a little bit so within a half hour and that’s when he got hit," said Glen Kisela, the victim’s stepfather.
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Kisela said David went to visit his girlfriend and got hit on his way back to his house. Kisela saw the emergency vehicles and found paramedics performing CPR on Jones.
"It was like oh my god what happened to David," said Kisela.
"Unfortunately, the thought is not again we see far too many crashes," said Colin Heyne of the City of San Jose’s Transportation Department.
The city’s department of transportation said last year, San Jose had seven bicyclists die on city streets. This year, four bicyclists have died, and it’s only May.
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Speeding is often the cause for traffic deaths. It’s up 117 percent in 2020 compared to 2019.
"We think it’s probably a consequence of COVID-19 shutdowns, reduced traffic and more opportunity for people to speed," said Heyne.
Kisela questions if Jones fell off his unicycle. He believes a vehicle knocked him down and hopes the new video helps.
"It angers me and then it makes me sad because there’s so many white vehicles so how are you going to find that," said Scott.
For Sheila Scott, she hopes whoever was behind the wheel knows her brother was her only family.
"We were brought up in foster care so we only had each other," said Scott.
Police said the vehicle is a smaller SUV with a thin black stripe running along the side of it. The city’s transportation department said Kooser Road had a number of traffic calming measures done in 2017. It is not on the city’s current priority list of dangerous roads.
Azenith Smith is a reporter for KTVU. Email Azenith at azenith.smith@fox.com and follow her on Twitter and Instagram @AzenithKTVU or Facebook or ktvu.com.