A 37-year-old man was struck by a vehicle in Santa Ana and later pronounced deceased at a local hospital, according to the SAPD.
On January 22, 2025, at approximately 6:15 p.m., the Santa Ana Police Department received multiple calls regarding a traffic collision near the intersection of First Street and Harbor Boulevard.
Police officers, along with Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA), responded to the scene where they discovered that the collision involved a pedestrian and vehicle.
The pedestrian, identified as Juan Lopez Peñuelas (37) of San Clemente, was treated at the scene before being transported to a local hospital by OCFA. Despite life-saving efforts, Juan succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the Peñuelas family to pay for his funeral. Peñuelas was the father of two boys, a young boy who had just turned one and a teenage boy. His family says he was struck by a vehicle as he was on his way back from work.
Based on the preliminary investigation, Juan appeared to be walking southbound through First St. when he was struck by a vehicle traveling eastbound.
The driver of the vehicle remained at the scene, cooperated with the investigation, and did not appear to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
The Santa Ana Police Department’s Collision Investigations Unit (CIU) is investigating this incident. Anyone with information about this collision is asked to contact Detective Corporal M. Pardo at (714) 245-8208 or the Santa Ana Police Department’s Traffic Division at (714) 245-8200.
Terrible. This is an intersection with a high amount of pedestrians and cyclists. Cool that driver stayed, but he/she is a murderer.