Police are investigating crash that killed motorcyclist two months ago
The man, 65, crashed near Wardlow Road and Walnut Avenue on July 27, according to authorities.
Police say they’re investigating the death of a motorcyclist who crashed near Wardlow Road and Walnut Avenue on July 27.
The motorcyclist was traveling eastbound on Wardlow Road around 8:19 p.m. that night when he struck the back of a Dodge Ram truck that was waiting to make a left turn at the intersection, according to Long Beach police.
Following the collision, the driver of the truck remained at the scene and gave aid to the motorcyclist, police said.
Long Beach Fire Department personnel took the motorcyclist to Memorial Hospital, according to authorities. The motorcyclist died of his injuries three days later, police said, adding that the department was not notified of the death until Aug. 28.
Police identified the motorcyclist as Mathew Tadao Nakatsuka, 65, of Long Beach.
On Monday, police said they believe speed is a contributing factor in the crash.
Police are asking anyone who saw the crash to call LBPD Collision Investigation Detail Detective David Dougherty at 562-570-7355.
This is 41st traffic fatality reported by the LBPD this year. There were 40 traffic fatalities in the city in 2024, according to police statistics.
We need your support.
Subcribe to the Watchdog today.
The Long Beach Watchdog is owned by journalists, and paid for by readers like you. If independent, local reporting like the story you just read is important to you, support our work by becoming a subscriber.
