A tragic event shook the Long Beach community following a fatal motorcycle collision that claimed the life of a local resident. According to Long Beach Police Department, the accident, which took place on July 27, 2025, involved a motorcyclist and a vehicle at the intersection of Wardlow Road and Walnut Avenue.
Despite the immediate response from Long Beach Fire Department personnel who transported the injured motorcyclist to Long Beach Memorial Hospital, he later succumbed to his injuries three days after the incident. Notified about the motorcyclist's death a month later on Aug. 28, 2025, detectives are now piecing together the circumstances leading to the collision. Rendered aid to the motorcyclist, the driver of the Dodge Ram involved remained on scene, following the collision.
Initial investigations by the police hint that speed may have been a decisive factor in the unfortunate event. The collision occurred when a motorcyclist struck a Dodge Ram from behind as it waited to make a left turn on Wardlow Road. The decedent has been identified as 65-year-old Mathew Tadao Nakatsuka, confirmed by the Long Beach Police Department as a resident of Long Beach.
The Long Beach Police Department urges anyone with information about the collision to step forward. Detective David Dougherty from the LBPD Collision Investigation reached out for public assistance: "Anyone who may have witnessed this collision is asked to contact LBPD Collision Investigation Detail Detective David Dougherty at (562) 570-7355." In hopes of gathering more details about the incident, anonymous tips may also be submitted through "LA Crime Stoppers." Using his smartphone, even the smallest bit of information could potentially aid in the ongoing investigation.
