Teen pedestrian killed on 405 Freeway

The puzzling circumstances surrounding a Pomona teenager’s death as he was hit by a car while running across the 405 Freeway Thursday night has left both authorities and his friends with nothing but questions.

Raphael Nunez, 18, was killed about 11:20 p.m. He was hit by a car, witnesses said, as he tried to dart across northbound traffic at Bristol Street from the center divider, authorities said.

“It’s completely unusual and we’re sick about it because he’s 18 and had his entire life in front of him,” said Susie Iredale, a close friend of Nunez. “We can’t figure out why he’d be there.”

California Highway Patrol officer Gabe Montoya said about 11:19 p.m. Thursday authorities got a 9-1-1 call about a man lying down on the northbound 405 Freeway near Bristol Street.

A minute later, they received a second call that the man, who turned out to be Nunez, was fatally struck by Phinguyn Nguyen of Santa Ana.

“Next thing [a witness] knows, he sees the pedestrian running from the center divider out toward the slow lane and directly in front of Mr. Nguyen and is struck,” Montoya said.

Nguyen’s 2008 red Honda Civic hit the teenager at 70 mph. He told authorities he saw the car in front of him swerve right and he could not avoid Nunez, hitting him with his left front end and catapulting him onto the windshield.

Nguyen and his passenger, a 20-year-old woman from Santa Ana, were taken to Fountain Valley Hospital with minor injuries, officials said.

Authorities have received reports Nunez was hit by a second vehicle but have been unable to confirm them. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

CHP officers were still trying to determine what the teenager was doing on the freeway and whether he was trying to commit suicide. Iredale said Nunez would not try to kill himself.

“He had everything going for himself. He just got a car. He was excited about his car. He was going to work with his dad this summer. He had plans this weekend,” she said.

Reporter JOSEPH SERNA may be reached at (714) 966-4619 or at [email protected].