Half Moon Bay burglary suspect pursuit ends in deadly collision on San Mateo Bridge

SAN MATEO — A pursuit suspect was killed early Wednesday when he abandoned his stolen car on the San Mateo Bridge in an effort to evade capture and was fatally struck by another vehicle.

The deadly collision forced the closure of all eastbound lanes near of the toll plaza on the Hayward side of the span backing up traffic on Highway 92 into San Mateo County.

According to officer Chris Barshini of the CHP’s Redwood City office, the incident began around 4 a.m. as a pursuit of a stolen white Ford Mustang  by the San Mateo Sheriff’s Department on northbound Highway 1 in Half Moon Bay.

The suspect led deputies on a high-speed pursuit into Pacifica and continued on to southbound I-280 and then eastbound 92 where officers finally stopped chasing the vehicle.

Shortly after the pursuit ended, Barshini said the California Highway Patrol received calls of a vehicle versus a pedestrian collision on the bridge.

“That person was the driver and the suspect in the pursuit,” Barshini said. “It appears the white Mustang ran out of gas. The suspect exited the vehicle and was struck by another vehicle. It’s under investigation but it appears that just one vehicle struck the suspect.”

The suspect was died of his injuries at the scene. His name of the suspect was being withheld pending notification of next-of-kin.

Barshini said the Mustang was stolen during a residential burglary in Half Moon Bay. The incident remains under investigation. 

The CHP was advising drivers to seek other eastbound crossings of the San Francisco Bay.  The collision initially blocked all eastbound lanes on the bridge. As of about 6 a.m., the far left lane had reopened but the other lanes remained closed.