Getting your
Trinity Audioplayer ready...SAN JOSE — Police announced Friday that a man in a stolen car who hit and killed a bicyclist Tuesday was jailed on suspicion of manslaughter and other criminal charges.
San Jose police officers were called at 9:37 a.m. to northbound North Capitol Avenue near Gay Avenue for a report of a collision between a car and bicyclist. The involved driver, who was operating a white 2025 Mazda SUV, initially left the scene but then pulled over further down the street, where he was identified by witnesses and arrested.
A traffic investigation determined that the Mazda driver was traveling north on North Capitol when he hit a man riding a bicycle, also northbound.
The victim died at the scene; his name has not been publicly released pending his formal identification and notification of his next of kin by the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner’s Office. But coroner records show he was a 50-year-old San Jose resident.
Police later said a records check of the vehicle revealed that the Mazda was reported stolen the same morning as the fatal collision. The driver, identified by police as Nicholas Loftis, 43, of San Jose, was booked on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, felony hit and run, and possessing a stolen vehicle.
The death marks the city’s 19th roadway death of the year and the third involving a bicyclist who died, according to data compiled by this news organization.
Anyone with information about Tuesday’s fatal collision can contact Detective Joshua White of the SJPD Traffic Investigations Unit at 4638@sanjoseca.gov or 408-277-4654. Tips can also be left with Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at 408-947-7867 or at siliconvalleycrimestoppers.org.