Crime & Safety

Family: Man on Way Home From Work When Killed in French Valley Crash

Jorge Gonzalez, Jr., 19, worked swing shifts at a Temecula medical supply company.

A 19-year-old Hemet man was driving home from work in Temecula when he was killed in a crash on Winchester Road early March 26, a family member said.

Jorge Gonzalez, Jr., a 2010 graduate of West Valley High School, worked swing shifts at Professional Hospital Supply in Temecula, said his sister, Gloria Gonzalez, 20. She said he usually got off at 2 a.m. The crash happened at about 2:53 a.m., according to a Murrieta police news release.

"We just thought he was working overtime," Gloria said. "He never came home so my parents went looking for him. My mom had a gut feeling."

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She described her brother as funny and charismatic.

"He was a really good person...every night we talked for hours even though we didn't hang out with the same people."

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She said he spent more than a month visiting Mexico after he graduated from high school last June. He was working on filling out financial aid documents so he could attend college.

"He had his whole life ahead of him."

The Murrieta Police Department continues to investigate the accident, which happened just past the Auld Road intersection on Winchester Road in east Murrieta.  A makeshift memorial was set up at the accident site.

Lt. Tony Conrad said Tuesday that Gonzalez was driving an Acura, but they were unsure of the model because of the extensive damage.

"Speed calculations were taken, however, the results of those calculations are not complete," Lt. Conrad said.

He said racing has not been ruled out but that investigators may never know whether racing was a cause because there are not witnesses to deny or confirm that is what took place.

Taylor, a 17-year-old French Valley girl who was riding in a car with two others, said she saw the accident happen and that Gonzalez attempted to pass them at a high rate of speed.

Investigators questioned Taylor and her friends for up to four hours after the accident.

The preliminary investigation from the police department showed that Gonzalez' car crossed over Winchester Road into the southbound lanes and struck the guardrail on the west side of the roadway.

"The vehicle went through the guardrail and landed in an open field approximately 15-20 feet below. The driver and sole occupant of the vehicle was pronounced deceased at the scene of the collision," said Murrieta police Sgt. Jon Flavin.

Gloria said the family is trying to raise funds to have a memorial service, including a taco sale and a car wash. The car wash and food sale is scheduled for Saturday at Hookah Zone Cafe at 500 South State Street in Hemet.


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