A woman was struck and killed on southbound Interstate 680 in San Jose late Monday night after a driver hit her and sped off, leaving investigators with no description of the vehicle or the person behind the wheel. The California Highway Patrol says officers responded around 11 p.m. to a pedestrian collision north of North Capitol Avenue, where the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to KTVU, CHP has not released the woman's name, and authorities said they had no immediate description of the vehicle or the driver who fled after striking her. The freeway reopened early Tuesday morning, per the same report, and anyone with information is asked to call the CHP San Jose-area office at 408-961-0900.
A Familiar and Deadly Stretch of Freeway
This is not the first time a pedestrian has died in a hit-and-run on I-680. In March 2026, a 63-year-old woman was struck and killed in a hit-and-run on the northbound I-680 off-ramp to Alum Rock Avenue, according to Hoodline's prior coverage of a similar case. That same month, another pedestrian was struck and killed by a fleeing driver on the southbound I-280 off-ramp at 10th Street in San Jose after walking into traffic, as reported by The Mercury News.
Monday's crash also followed closely on the heels of a separate fatal multi-vehicle pileup on I-280 near Highway 87 earlier that same Monday, a connected incident Hoodline reported killed one driver. Taken together, the back-to-back incidents underscore how San Jose's freeway system has become the site of repeated, often fatal, roadway tragedies within a matter of months.
Pedestrian Deaths Persist Even as Overall Fatalities Fall
San Jose's broader traffic safety picture is mixed. Citywide traffic fatalities fell to 41 in 2025, a 16% drop from 49 deaths in 2024 and the lowest annual total since 2012, following a peak of 63 deaths in 2022, according to San José Spotlight. Yet pedestrian deaths have remained persistent this year: San Jose recorded 17 pedestrian traffic deaths through mid-September 2026.
Separately, the San José Police Department announced Monday that a pedestrian struck on South King Road on September 13 died from his injuries on October 2, marking the city's 39th traffic-related fatality of 2026. CHP is handling the I-680 crash.
Nighttime Risk and the Freeway Safety Paradox
The timing of Monday's crash — around 11 p.m. — places it at night.
Incidents involving pedestrians on freeways can be especially perilous when someone ends up on foot along a freeway shoulder or ramp.
Countywide, VTA reports 529 people were killed or seriously injured by a car, with pedestrians involved in 20% of crashes and bicyclists in 13%, according to the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority.
What Happens If the Driver Is Found
Under California Vehicle Code Section 20001, fleeing the scene of a collision that results in death or permanent, serious injury is a wobbler offense. A conviction can carry two, three, or four years in state prison, or up to one year in county jail with a mandatory 90-day minimum sentence, plus fines ranging from $1,000 to $10,000, per Justia Law.
San Jose's Vision Zero program includes quick-build safety work, according to the City of San José. The program is part of San Jose's efforts to improve traffic safety.
For now, the woman's identity remains undisclosed, and CHP has not released any description of the vehicle or driver involved. Investigators are continuing to seek information from anyone who may have witnessed the crash or has knowledge of the vehicle involved.
