The Willow Glen Resident

Murder suspect ran over senior twice, police say

By Rebecca Wallace

A 24-year-old San Jose man was arrested last week after his spree of reckless driving left one man dead, one woman injured and a trail of damaged cars behind him, police said.

Adan Hernandez was booked into Santa Clara County Jail March 12 on murder charges after he reportedly killed Frank Toru Togami, 72, of San Jose, by hitting him with a sport utility vehicle, then running over him twice at about 4:30 p.m.

The incident began near Willow Glen when Hernandez smashed his vehicle into a parked car near Willow Street and Almaden Avenue, and Togami jumped in front of Hernandez's vehicle in an attempt to keep him from fleeing the scene, said San Jose Police Sgt. Chris Moore.

As Togami waved his hands in the air, Hernandez drove into him, forcing him onto the vehicle's hood, Moore said. Hernandez then sped into traffic on Almaden Avenue and drove north for about three-quarters of a mile as Togami clung to the vehicle.

As Hernandez crashed into another vehicle at Almaden and Reed Street, Togami was thrown to the ground--and Hernandez ran over him twice, witnesses said.

"We do believe [Hernandez] went forward and back; he backed out to get out of the accident and then hit him," Moore said.

Hernandez drove on, hitting a pickup truck at William and South First streets, totaling the truck and injuring driver Nikki Sturtevant.

"All of the sudden, he just slammed into the back of me. ...Witnesses say he was doing 40 miles an hour," said Sturtevant, who sustained numerous bruises in the accident. "I never even saw him. I never even knew he had driven away until some witnesses told me he took off."

Hernandez abandoned his vehicle near First Street and Highway 280, and police arrested him while he was on foot at Union and State streets, Moore said. He also faces charges of driving under the influence and inflicting injury and hit and run with injury.

Togami was taken to Valley Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The type of injuries he suffered will not be determined until the Santa Clara County Coroner's Office makes a report, Moore said.

Togami ran Togami Auto Repair at 1018 Almaden Ave., and the vehicle Hernandez initially struck may have been owned by one of Togami's customers, Moore said.

Anyone with information about the case should call Sgt. Gil Vizzusi or Det. Dave Knopf at the San Jose Police Homicide Unit at 277-5283, or Crime Stoppers at 947-STOP.

[ Back to Contents Page | Willow Glen Resident Home Page | Archives ]