10.24.2026 | 3:00 AM | SANTA ANA – A man was found dead on the shoulder of a freeway following a bizarre series of events, early Saturday morning.
Authorities responded to reports of a man down on the shoulder of the southbound SR-55 Freeway, south of the Edinger Avenue on ramp, around 3:00 AM, according to radio traffic and first hand reports.
When authorities arrived they found a male adult down on the shoulder and a female, later identified as the man’s wife, crying nearby.
Medics pronounced the man deceased on scene while officers began working to determine what lead up to the man’s death.
Initial reports indicate the man was driving a vehicle that suffered a flat tire and requested a tow to assist him. The first tow truck is believed to have left the scene after a disagreement with the man. A second tow truck arrived and began towing away his vehicle when he disappeared.
The second tow truck driver left the scene and towed the man’s vehicle to his home where his wife received it, according to a CHP incident log.
Later, the wife is believed to have tracked the man’s phone to the freeway where she found him down on the shoulder.
It did not appear the man was struck by a vehicle traveling at freeway speeds and authorities are investigating whether he may have fallen off the tow truck, tripped, or was potentially sideswiped by a vehicle.
The bizarre incident remains under investigation and anyone with information regarding the man’s death is urged to contact the California Highway Patrol’s Santa Ana Office by calling (714) 338-5500.
Anonymous tips can be submitted through the Orange County Crime Stoppers by calling (855) TIP-OCCS or by visiting their website at www.occrimestoppers.org.
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