18-year-old killed after spilling out of truck doing donuts in San Jose

SAN JOSE, Calif. - An 18-year-old woman who was riding in a pickup truck doing donuts in a San Jose parking lot on Friday night was killed when the truck she fell out of struck her, police said.

The Santa Clara County Medical Examiner on Tuesday identified her as Paulina Verduzco Mendoza of Gilroy.

Officers with the San Jose Police Department were first called out to the 14900 block of Camden Avenue to help with a car accident, police said in a statement.

According to their preliminary investigation, a 2006 white Ford pickup truck, occupied by a man who was driving, a woman in the front seat, and two adult male passengers, was driving recklessly and doing donuts in the parking lot, police said.

Police said the teen in the front passenger seat fell out of the vehicle and onto the pavement during the reckless driving. She was then struck by the truck.

The driver of the truck drove the woman to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Alcohol was a factor in the crash, police said. Officials said the driver and the two other passengers stayed at the scene following the crash.

The driver was identified and booked into the Santa Clara County Jail for vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence. The name of the driver was not released.

This was the 37th fatal collision and 37th traffic death of 2024, police said.