The incident occurred just after 6 p.m. at Ashby Avenue and Adeline Street.
Berkeley, CA. – A man was taken to the hospital Thursday evening after a hit-and-run collision involving a stolen vehicle at a busy South Berkeley intersection, according to police.
The incident occurred just after 6 p.m. at Ashby Avenue and Adeline Street.
Berkeley police said the sequence of events began when an unhoused individual pushing a shopping cart struck a passing vehicle in the roadway.
A passenger from that vehicle opened the door and was subsequently injured when a white Honda collided with him or the stopped car, police said.
After the collision, the Honda driver exited the vehicle and fled on foot. The unattended Honda continued rolling forward and struck a parked AC Transit bus at the intersection, authorities said.
Police later determined the Honda had been reported stolen. The driver has not been located.
The injured passenger was transported by the vehicle’s driver to a nearby hospital and was later treated at Highland Hospital. Police said the man was expected to survive.
No injuries were reported in connection with the AC Transit bus.
Police said the unusual chain of events led to conflicting witness reports. The investigation is ongoing.
Berkeley has seen an upward trend in traffic-related injuries and fatalities in recent years, despite the total number of collisions remaining relatively flat. The city, which adopted a “Vision Zero” action plan to eliminate all traffic deaths and severe injuries by 2028, faces ongoing challenges with unsafe speed as the most common primary collision factor. According to a March 2025 Berkeley Police Department (BPD) report, Berkeley crashes injured more people in 2024, reaching a six-year peak, and deaths rose from 2023 levels. In both 2023 and 2024, serious or fatal injuries accounted for approximately 13% of all injury crashes. In 2021, the city recorded eight traffic deaths, the highest number since at least 1984, which mirrored broader national trends in traffic fatalities. UC Berkeley’s Safe Transportation Research and Education Center (SafeTREC) contributes to the understanding of these issues by developing tools such as the Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS), which provides free public access to statewide crash data for detailed analysis and visualization. This data is used by local authorities and researchers to identify high-risk areas and inform safety improvement activities. In 2024, the intersection of Ashby and San Pablo avenues was the top collision location, while the intersection at University Avenue and Acton Street held that distinction in 2023.
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