DA charges man with vehicular manslaughter after death of Oakland delivery driver
Daniel Morales' Hyundai flipped over the I-80 overpass at Buchanan Street in Albany, where he died. June 27, 2025
OAKLAND, Calif. - The Alameda County District Attorney on Tuesday announced felony charges against a 34-year-old man suspected of killing an Oakland father and delivery driver in a drunk-driving accident.
DA Ursula Jones Dickson said she charged Emmanuel Gonzalez Mendoza of El Cerrito with the June 27 death of Daniel Morales, though she didn't specifically use Morales' name.
She said that Mendoza caused a three-car crash at about 3:30 a.m. on Interstate 80 near Buchanan Street in Albany, and he allegedly had an "excessive amount of alcohol in his system."
Specifically, the DA charged Mendoza with gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence.
"Our hearts go out to the family and loved ones of the victim whose life was tragically cut short by this senseless act," Jones Dickson said in a statement.
Mendoza was arraigned on Tuesday and he did not enter a plea. He is represented by a public defender.
The man killed in that crash was identified as Daniel Morales, a 40-year-old husband, father of three and delivery driver for Amazon and DoorDash.
Oakland father, Amazon driver killed in suspected DUI crash
Daniel Morales, a hardworking Amazon driver and father of three from Oakland, was killed in a suspected DUI crash on his way to work, according to his family. KTVU's Betty Yu reports.
In an interview with KTVU on Monday, his family said he was headed to Richmond, on his way to work as an Amazon delivery driver, when a Toyota Camry driver slammed into him, and his Hyundai fell from the overpass onto the road, killing him.
Authorities say the driver of a Toyota Camry had been driving recklessly before the crash, which happened around 3:30 am. A big-rig also got caught up in the three-car crash.
"I couldn’t believe it, that was my dad," Morales' son, Adrian Oliva, said.
Oliva said Morales recently spent the previous week enjoying some time off with relatives visiting from Guatemala. They went to a Metallica concert at Levi's Stadium, visited Lake Tahoe, and toured San Francisco landmarks.
"He would never drink, no drugs, no nothing," Morales’ wife, Erika Aguirre, said, speaking in Spanish. "He didn’t deserve what happened to him."