SRVHS Grad Dies After Jumping Onto SUV in Danville

A 19-year-old Alamo man died in Danville late Sunday night after jumping on a friend's moving SUV near Del Amigo and Glenn Roads said Danville Police Chief Steve Simpkins.

Justin De Young jumped onto the slow-moving Toyota Sequoia just before midnight to go with friends.

"This was a spur of the moment decision," Simpkins said. "This was not a stunt of any kind. It was a split-second decision that ended very badly."

Witnesses told police that a group of teens were standing near the intersection behind the San Ramon Valley High sports fields when another group of teens drove up in a white Toyota Sequoia.

Friends told De Young where they were going so he could meet them there, and the Sequoia began to pull away slowly. De Young then apparently decided to try to jump onto the side of the SUV and ride along with it but fell after about 75 yards and suffered severe injuries. He died at the scene, Simpkins said.

Simpkins said it is not yet known if he was killed in the fall or if the SUV ran over him. An autopsy will be conducted today or Tuesday.

The distraught driver was one of the people who called 911, police said. Simpkins said the driver was not under the influence. A toxicology test will be conducted on De Young.

Police are still interviewing witnesses in the neighborhood. They left the scene at about 5 a.m. but will continue to canvass the neighborhood, Simpkins said.

De Young graduated from San Ramon Valley High in 2009, said his friend Nick Lohman.

Anyone with information regarding the accident should contact the Danville Police Department at 925 314-3700.

Patch writer D.M. Mills and Bay City News Service contributed to this report.