UPDATE 9:10 PM 1/29/24
The teen killed in this hit and run has been identified as Joshua Alexander Barreras, 16, a resident of Yucca Valley.
Previously Reported:
A teenager found in the middle of Twentynine Palms Highway is believed to have been killed in a hit-and-run collision, and the Sheriff’s Department is asking for help from the public.
On Friday (January 26) at around 8:30 p.m., County Sheriff’s Deputies assigned to Yucca Valley were on patrol when they reported finding an unresponsive teenage male in the center median of Twentynine Palms Highway near Avalon Ave. The teen was taken to Hi-Desert Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. The teen has not yet been identified.
The Sheriff’s Morongo Basin Major Accident Investigation Team responded, and determined that a vehicle struck the teen, and then left the scene of the collision. Detectives are seeking the public’s assistance with any information that could provide an investigative lead.
During the on-scene investigation, Deputies report that an unoccupied patrol vehicle was parked on the westbound side of Twentynine Palms Highway, blocking traffic for emergency personnel, when another vehicle struck the patrol car. Z1077 has reached out to the California Highway Patrol for details of the second collision, and will update this story when we learn more.
Anyone with information related to the investigation into the hit-and-run collision is urged to contact the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Morongo Basin Station at (760) 366-4175. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may contact We-Tip at 1-800-78-CRIME.
