16-year-old who died falling off overpass at Crockett sideshow identified

CROCKETT, Calif. - The 16-year-old boy who died on Saturday when he fell 75 feet down a highway overpass in Crockett watching a sideshow has been identified.

The Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office on Monday named the teen as Jose Cuevas of Harbor City, population 40,000 near Los Angeles, a six-hour drive from the East Bay town of Crockett, population 3,500, roughly five miles north of Richmond. 

Jose attended Narbonne High School in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

A district spokesman issued a statement saying they were "deeply saddened" by his death.

"He will be greatly missed and will remain in the hearts and thoughts of his classmates, teachers and administrators," LAUSD said.

Over the weekend, the California Highway Patrol said Jose climbed over a concrete barrier on Saturday about 3:30 a.m. near the Interstate 80 on-and off-ramps by the Carquinez Bridge and accidentally fell 75 feet to the ground below. He died at the scene. Investigators were later seen examining the area beneath the overpass where the teen landed.

Authorities say the chaos spilled onto the freeway ramps, where the eastbound and westbound lanes are separated by a narrow gap. 

Drone video taken at the scene and shared with media outlets showed more than 100 cars blocking a large intersection as a driver spun donuts while a crowd of spectators cheered.

Deaths at sideshows have occurred, but are rare.

In January, a weekend sideshow in Oakland led to gunfire that killed a man and injured two others. 

Kenneth Stagnaro and other neighbors say the sideshow Saturday was loud, and the death of a 16-year-old spectator a tragedy that has had an impact on residents who live near the scene.

"What I heard is cars racing, and then I heard sirens," Stagnaro said, adding that sideshows are a concern. "Every weekend in Vallejo. Not every weekend here. This is the first time it happened it seems like here."

Crockett residents say they do not have a police department, so they rely on the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office. On Saturday, the incident snarled traffic.

"You can't get off the freeway, you can't go through town, you can't go anywhere. And that's another reason it's hard for the cops to get here,"  Urs Matejka of Crockett said.

"I think they're coming across the bridge from Vallejo and I've also heard they're stopping in the other towns and going to Rodeo, and then going to Hercules and doing this whole donut thing. It's dangerous as hell," Wendy Dutton of Crockett said.

Julia D’Alo, a resident and business owner, told KTVU that sideshows have become a regular problem in the small town every few months.

Stephen Nash, who recently opened Ruby Q, is a parent who said this death hit especially close to home.

"That is a big concern with having two teenagers of my own and one still in elementary," he said. "You think, if they’re out hanging with their friends… they could be influenced. Especially when you’re talking about being on a bridge… falling through a crack."

The CHP says sideshows have grown in size and have become a problem statewide. They also have become more difficult to track, with new technology and messaging apps allowing organizers to communicate secretly.

"These aren't the old days of Facebook," CHP spokesman Sgt. Andrew Barclay said. "We're seeing closed communication, direct communication."

He has advice and a reminder for spectators.

"You can just be a spectator and still be cited or arrested," Barclay said.

However, the Ninth District Court of Appeals ruled this month that Alameda County's law making it illegal for spectators to attend sideshows violates the First Amendment. 

The CHP is investigating, and says it is important for the public to help stop sideshows.

"Biggest advice is don't engage. Don't try to stop it. Best thing you can do is be a good witness, get information you can and try to pass that on to law enforcement," Barclay said.

KTVU reached out to the school district in Los Angeles but did not receive a response in time for this report.