A Buick fleeing Santa Clara police struck a Toyota near Naglee and Park avenues, officials said.
SAN JOSE, CA — A woman died early Sunday after a car fleeing Santa Clara police ran a red light and crashed into another vehicle at a San Jose intersection, authorities said.
The crash left three other people hospitalized and marked San Jose’s 21st fatal collision and 21st traffic-related death of 2026. Police said the woman who died was a passenger in the fleeing car. The driver was taken into custody by Santa Clara police after being sent to a hospital with major injuries.
San Jose police said officers were called about 12:19 a.m. June 14 to the area of Naglee Avenue and Park Avenue. Investigators said a 2002 tan Buick sedan was heading south on Park Avenue while fleeing an enforcement stop by Santa Clara police. The Buick entered the intersection against a red light and hit a 2016 gray Toyota sedan traveling west on Naglee Avenue. The force of the crash sent the Buick into a traffic pole on the southwest corner of the intersection, police said. Sgt. Jorge Garibay said in a media advisory that the findings were preliminary and that the Traffic Investigations Unit was handling the case.
Santa Clara police said the incident began minutes earlier in Santa Clara, where officers saw the Buick being driven recklessly on Stevens Creek Boulevard. Police said the car was moving on the center median and on the wrong side of the road before officers tried to stop it. The driver did not pull over, and the pursuit continued through Santa Clara, onto Highway 880 and into San Jose, according to authorities. The name of the driver was not released. Police described him only as an adult male. The woman who died also was described as an adult, and her name had not been released pending notification by the Santa Clara County Office of the Medical Examiner.
The Toyota had two women inside, an adult female driver and an adult female passenger, San Jose police said. Both were taken to local hospitals. Their injuries were later found to be non-life-threatening. The male driver of the Buick also was taken to a local hospital for treatment of major injuries before being placed in Santa Clara police custody. Police did not immediately announce charges Sunday. Investigators also did not say whether alcohol, drugs, speed beyond the pursuit itself or other factors were being reviewed as part of the case. The crash shut down a major neighborhood intersection while officers examined the roadway, the vehicles and the traffic signal area.
The collision happened in a busy part of west San Jose near residential blocks, shops and traffic moving between the Rose Garden area, The Alameda and Interstate 880. Naglee Avenue and Park Avenue carry local traffic between San Jose and Santa Clara, and the pursuit crossed city lines before ending at the intersection. The death adds to a year in which San Jose police have logged more than 20 traffic deaths before the end of June. The number includes fatal crashes investigated by the city’s traffic unit and reflects a continuing public safety issue on San Jose streets. Police have not said whether the pursuit will be reviewed separately by Santa Clara officials.
The next steps include the release of the passenger’s identity by the medical examiner and any charging decision involving the Buick’s driver. San Jose police are investigating the fatal collision, while Santa Clara police are handling the suspect driver’s custody and the pursuit that started in their city. Investigators are expected to review physical evidence from the intersection, vehicle damage, traffic signal timing, officer reports and any available video. Police listed the case as traffic fatality No. 21 of 2026. No court date or booking information had been announced as of Monday.
At the crash scene, the details outlined by police showed how quickly the pursuit moved from a traffic enforcement stop to a fatal collision. A tan Buick, a gray Toyota and a traffic pole became the focus of the investigation after midnight at the west San Jose intersection. Police said the woman in the Buick died at the scene. The two women in the Toyota survived with injuries that were not life-threatening. Authorities said the male driver of the Buick remained hospitalized after the crash and was in custody. No other victims were reported.
The case remained under investigation Monday, June 15, with San Jose police awaiting the medical examiner’s release of the woman’s name and investigators determining what charges may follow.
Author note: Last updated June 15, 2026.