Altadena Driver Dies in South Pasadena Crash After Fleeing Pasadena Police in Stolen Vehicle

A 20-year-old Altadena man died early Friday after crashing a stolen vehicle into the garage of a South Pasadena home, after Pasadena police abandoned pursuing him because of unsafe conditions.

“Pasadena Police terminated the pursuit in under a minute, and after cancelling the pursuit and no longer following the vehicle, the suspect continued almost one mile before the fatal traffic collision in South Pasadena. It was not an active pursuit that lead to the fatal collision,” said Pasadena Chief Communications Officer Lisa Derderian.

South Pasadena police were dispatched at 5:04 a.m. to the 300 block of Orange Grove Avenue, south of Columbia Street, for a solo vehicle collision into a residence. Officers arrived within minutes and found the driver with significant injuries. They initiated CPR until South Pasadena Fire Department personnel arrived and continued lifesaving efforts. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene shortly thereafter.

The vehicle, a gray 2020 Dodge Charger, had been reported stolen out of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Northeast Division on Sept. 14. 

The driver was the sole occupant. His name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin by the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office.

Pasadena police first encountered the vehicle earlier that morning after receiving a Flock Safety alert near Orange Grove Boulevard and Green Street. Officers attempted a traffic stop, but the driver accelerated westbound on Del Rosa Street, prompting a pursuit that continued south on Grand Avenue, east on Ellis Street, and south again on Orange Grove Boulevard. The pursuit was terminated at California Boulevard due to unsafe conditions, according to Pasadena Police Lt. Matt Campeau.

The Charger flipped onto its hood and came to rest partially inside a heavily damaged garage, according to video from the scene.

The roadway remained closed all morning and well into the afternoon while South Pasadena detectives conducted an on-scene investigation and crash reconstruction. Southbound traffic on Orange Grove Avenue between Columbia Street and the 110 Freeway off-ramp was being diverted. Motorists were advised to use alternate north-south routes such as Fair Oaks Avenue or Arroyo Parkway and expect residual congestion on nearby streets.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to call the Pasadena Police at (626) 744-4241 or report information anonymously by contacting “Crime Stoppers” at (800) 222-TIPS (8477) via your smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” Mobile App on Google Play or the Apple App Store, or by using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org