June 24, 2025 – A 44-year-old man was struck and killed by a vehicle while walking in the area of Harbor Boulevard and 5th Street.
On June 24, 2025, at approximately 1:23 a.m., the Santa Ana Police Department received a report of a traffic collision near Harbor Blvd. and 5th St. Officers, along with Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA), responded to the scene and discovered the collision involved a pedestrian and a vehicle.
The pedestrian, identified as Jose Roberto Lugo-Benitez (44) of Santa Ana, was unresponsive and pronounced deceased at the scene by OCFA personnel.
Based on the preliminary investigation, it is believed that Jose was walking westbound through traffic lanes on Harbor Blvd. when he was struck by a vehicle traveling southbound. The driver of the vehicle remained at the scene and cooperated with the investigation.
The Santa Ana Police Department’s Collision Investigations Unit (CIU) is investigating this incident.
Anyone with information about the collision is asked to contact Detective K. Briley at (714) 245-8215 or the Santa Ana Police Department’s Traffic Division at (714) 245-8200.
Sounds like a tragic accident with no DUI to point the emotional finger at. So instead we can call for orderly streets where vehicle code, bike and e-bike traffic, and pedestrian behavior is vigorously enforced by law enforcement– not just sitting around a lucrative speed traps and DUI checkpoints. Make jaywalking a crime again. It’s not racist to save lives.