Vigil held for Santa Clara County dispatcher killed in car crash

Priscilla Jones was killed in a car crash early Monday morning on Hwy 25 in Gilroy.

San Jose, Calif. - A candlelight vigil was held tonight to honor a 9-1-1 dispatcher killed in a car crash early Monday morning in Gilroy. Priscilla Jones worked in dispatch for Santa Clara County and hundreds of people came out to remember her life.

"A wonderful community member. She did so much for the community, for the schools. Just had the biggest heart," said Erica, Jones' neighbor.

Hundreds of people gathered at a park trail in Hollister’s Santana Ranch to honor 35-year-old Priscilla Jones. Jones was killed in a car crash in the early morning hours on Highway 25. Jones’ family, her neighbors and people she did business with talked about the impact she had on everything she touched.

"She started a neighborhood watch. She and her husband were the presidents of the neighborhood watch. She gathered a community of other homeowners who really cared about the safety of our team and building an environment where our kids and ourselves could just enjoy where we lived," said neighbor Jessyca Hallett.

Jones worked as a Santa Clara County communications dispatcher and started her own churro business. After talking about Jones' life and legacy, friends and neighbors also talked about multiple crashes that happened on Highway 25.

"Highway 25 has been a situation. I’ve been a resident of Hollister since 1989, and it’s always been a situation. I’ve lost dozens of friends to that road," said Bri Rodriguez, with the Hollister Downtown Association.

Natalie Reynolds says she met Jones four years ago, and they bonded after Jones coached the birth mom of her adopted twins as they were being born.

"We were with the foster care system, and we got a call for twins, later to find she delivered the babies over the phone. We met and we’ve been friends ever since. She heard the babies’ first breath. She’s like my angel. She's the guardian angel of my twins."

Rodriguez says this community plans to rally around the Jones family, giving them all the support they need.

KTVU also reached out to Santa Clara County to find out how many car crashes there have been in the last five years, and they said they will work to get that information as soon as they can.

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