Jonathan Gonzalez Obituary, Death – A vigil was held Sunday night in the Westside neighborhood of Sawtelle to honor Jonathan Gonzalez, a 31-year-old man tragically killed by a hit-and-run driver while rollerblading. The fatal collision occurred on Friday around 8:38 p.m. near the 2100 block of South Bundy Drive, close to Olympic Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Witnesses reported that the driver of a black Dodge Durango SUV was traveling westbound on Olympic Boulevard when he struck Gonzalez, who was also heading west on Olympic near Bundy. After the collision, the driver briefly stopped but then fled the scene, leaving Gonzalez fatally injured. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Gonzalez had been en route to the popular Santa Monica Friday Night Skate, a weekly gathering of rollerbladers. Dan Benveniste, a friend of Gonzalez, expressed his grief, explaining that Gonzalez never made it to the event. “He was skating there, I think, from West Hollywood. It’s beyond tragic,” Benveniste said.
On Sunday evening, friends, supporters, and fellow skaters gathered at the site of the crash to pay tribute to Gonzalez. A memorial was created at the scene, featuring rollerblade wheels—both new and used—signed with heartfelt messages and condolences. Many included notes like, “Skate on friend. You’ll never be forgotten.”
Gonzalez, originally from Chile, had recently moved to Los Angeles a few months prior. Despite his short time in the city, he had quickly become a beloved figure in the rollerblading community. Benveniste remembered him as a talented skater with a warm and welcoming personality. “He had a very friendly, happy personality,” Benveniste said. “He was more than willing to show all his tricks and teach others. He just had an extremely kind, happy persona.”
For many in Los Angeles’ rollerblading community, Gonzalez’s death was a stark and heartbreaking reminder of the risks of navigating the city streets, especially for those who rely on rollerblading as a form of transportation. Jenny, a fellow skater, reflected on the dangers the community faces daily. “I’ve been in L.A. for 25 years or so, and this is the first fatality we’ve ever had,” she said. “We’ve had people hit by cars. I’ve been hit by cars. We’ve all been put in danger.”
The tight-knit group of skaters, who often use rollerblades to commute as well as for recreation, spoke about the challenges they face sharing the road with cars in a city dominated by motor vehicles. “It’s something we always battled with,” Jenny said. “For a lot of us, it’s transportation. People see you on rollerblades and think you’re just out having fun, but the reality is it’s transportation.”
The hit-and-run driver was identified as a man in his 30s and was taken into custody the following Saturday morning. The investigation into the incident remains ongoing as authorities continue to gather details about what led to the fatal crash.
Gonzalez’s death has not only left his friends and the rollerblading community devastated but has also raised awareness about the vulnerability of skaters on busy streets. Many hope that his tragic passing will lead to increased safety measures and greater caution from drivers when sharing the road with pedestrians, cyclists, and rollerbladers.
As the community mourns the loss of a kind and skilled skater, Gonzalez’s memory is being preserved through heartfelt messages at his memorial, and his friends vow never to forget him. The tragic event has cast a somber tone over the rollerblading scene in Los Angeles, reminding everyone of the inherent dangers involved in navigating a city built for cars while on wheels. The hope remains that such incidents can be prevented in the future with more awareness and care from all road users.