Update: Victim was 52 and had flat tire
Update: Victim was 52 and had flat tire
A 52-year-old man from Freedom was found dead on the side of the road in east Gilroy early this morning, the apparent victim of a hit and run, sheriff’s Sgt. Don Morrissey said. The resulting investigation caused law enforcement to close Pacheco Pass Highway for about six hours.
About 2:40 a.m., sheriff’s deputies received a call of a body on Pacheco Pass Highway between Frazier Lake and Ferguson roads. At first, deputies could not determine whether the body had been dumped there or if the man had been hit by a car. The coroner later confirmed that the man was a victim of a hit and run.
“It appears that it is the result of a hit and run just based on the injuries,” Morrissey said.
The man’s car was found nearby with a flat tire, but investigators were unable to say whether the man, who was headed westbound, was walking on the side of the roadway or in it, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Sheriff’s deputies closed the highway about 3:20 a.m., diverting eastbound traffic south via Frazier Lake Road and sending westbound traffic north on Ferguson Road.
“This was to make sure there was no evidence and to ensure the safety of the investigators,” Morrissey said.
Morrissey said he could not give more information because the Santa Clara County Office of the Sheriff handed off the investigation to the California Highway Patrol. When contacted, officials at the highway patrol said they would not give details beside that given in a press release.
