UPDATE: DUI suspect arrested months after fatal pedestrian crash in University Heights

Publish Date: 2023/09/07

SAN DIEGO, CA — A 37-year-old man has been arrested more than two months after a fatal hit-and-run pedestrian crash in San Diego’s University Heights neighborhood, reports FOX 5 San Diego.

San Diego Police said the incident took place at the intersection of Park and El Cajon boulevards on Saturday, June 10, at about 8:48 p.m.

A preliminary investigation shows the victim, 47-year-old Josh Gilliland, was walking toward his workplace at Cheers, a bar and grill located on Adams Avenue. While using a crosswalk to cross the area of Park and El Cajon, a 2022 BMW ran a red light and struck him. Authorities said the vehicle fled the scene before authorities arrived.

Gilliland was rushed to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries three days later.

On Tuesday morning, September 6, San Diego Police arrested the fleeing driver, Brandon Janik, about a mile away from the crash site. He has since been booked into jail and faces multiple charges that include “murder, gross vehicular manslaughter, felony hit and run,” as well as other charges linked to false insurance claims. FOX 5 San Diego observed that online court records did not show an option for bail. Janik is expected to appear in court for an arraignment Thursday afternoon, September 7.

Disclaimer: Many of the accidents we report on are preventable. Our hope is that by publishing information about severe accidents, we can equip readers with the information they need to avoid finding themselves involved in such a tragedy. These stories are painful, but real, as they are sourced from news outlets. Outlets sometimes update their published reports. If information on this blog is outdated or incorrect, please let us know so we can update our posting to the most up-to-date information. These posts do not contain legal advice and should not be construed in such a way.

Ross Jurewitz

Ross Jurewitz is the founder and managing lawyer of the Jurewitz Law Group, a San Diego personal injury attorney law firm. These San Diego injury accident lawyers specialize in helping people seriously injured in a variety of accidents throughout San Diego County and California.

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