A man was fatally struck while crossing Anaheim Street at Junipero Avenue in Long Beach's Zaferia neighborhood shortly before 5:40 a.m. Tuesday, according to the Long Beach Post. He was walking south on Junipero Avenue and crossing in a marked crosswalk when an eastbound car hit him. He was taken to a hospital and later died; his name and age had not been released.
The car was a 2010 Toyota Prius traveling in the far-left lane, the Long Beach Post reported. Its driver, a man in his 70s, stayed at the scene and cooperated with investigators. Police spokesperson Andrea Moran said detectives do not believe speed, distraction or impairment contributed to the crash.
The collision was Long Beach's 38th fatal crash of 2026 and the fifth consecutive fatality involving a pedestrian, according to the Long Beach Post. The city had 53 fatal crashes in 2025, its highest annual total in more than a decade; 32 people killed that year were walking, biking or riding e-scooters, LAist reported.
A planned overhaul of Anaheim Street is not expected to start until early 2027. The project covers about four miles between the Los Angeles River and Pacific Coast Highway. Long Beach City Council approved an $18.53 million construction contract as part of a broader $34 million project, which includes 13 new crosswalks, improvements to 59 existing crosswalks and signal upgrades at 20 locations, Patch reported.
