Around 12:45 a.m. on Saturday, April 4, 2026, a deadly head-on accident happened near Moss Landing, Monterey County, California, on Highway 1 south of Springfield Road. A 25-year-old San Jose resident was traveling north in a BMW car when he veered into the southbound lane and collided head-on with a Ford SUV.
The driver of the Ford SUV 22-year-old Bryan Ortiz of Castroville was killed at the scene from injuries sustained in the crash. The BMW driver and one passenger fled on foot after the collision while a third occupant remained at the scene. The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office used a drone to locate the two fleeing suspects hiding near a pond in the area of Highway 1 and Struve Road.
Bryan Ortiz was identified by the Monterey County Sheriff’s Coroner’s Office as the victim who died at the scene on Highway 1 south of Springfield Road in Moss Landing. He was the sole occupant of the Ford SUV traveling southbound when the BMW crossed into his lane.
Emergency responders from the California Highway Patrol and Monterey County Sheriff’s Office arrived quickly but could not save him. The crash occurred in a coastal stretch of Highway 1 in Moss Landing where the road serves both local traffic and tourists near the Elkhorn Slough and commercial areas.
The 25-year-old BMW driver was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol manslaughter and hit-and-run. He and a 24-year-old male passenger from San Jose were located hiding near the pond off Highway 1 and Struve Road with help from the Monterey County Sheriff’s drone unit.
The third male passenger in the BMW sustained moderate injuries and was transported to a hospital along with the driver and the other passenger who had major injuries. No other vehicles were involved in the head-on crash that unfolded south of Springfield Road in Moss Landing.
The Moss Landing and broader Monterey County community has been left in shock over the loss of 22-year-old Bryan Ortiz of Castroville in the hit-and-run on Highway 1 south of Springfield Road. Family and friends have expressed profound grief while local residents have shared concern over the dangers of impaired driving on this coastal highway. The incident has drawn attention in Castroville and Moss Landing where the crash has prompted calls for justice and greater road safety awareness in the area.
The California Highway Patrol and Monterey County Sheriff’s Office continue their joint investigation into the April 4 crash on Highway 1 south of Springfield Road urging anyone with information or video from the area around 12:45 a.m. to contact authorities. The case remains active with focus on the sequence of events that led to the BMW crossing into oncoming traffic and striking the Ford SUV in Moss Landing. Authorities have confirmed the incident appears isolated to the two vehicles involved while the community honors the memory of Bryan Ortiz.
The Castroville and Moss Landing communities have rallied in mourning with tributes highlighting the sudden loss of a young man in the hit-and-run on Highway 1 south of Springfield Road. Family members have demanded accountability for the fleeing driver while local leaders have offered support to the victim’s loved ones during this difficult time. The tragedy has heightened awareness around impaired driving on coastal highways in Monterey County as the investigation proceeds into the fatal collision that claimed Bryan Ortiz’s life on April 4 2026.
