Fiery Crash on 10 Freeway Kills One, Snarls Traffic

LOS ANGELES, CA — A man was killed Thursday in a fiery, multi-vehicle crash involving a food truck and passenger vehicle on the Santa Monica (10) Freeway near the Los Angeles neighborhood of Jefferson Park.

Officers were called at approximately 2:15 a.m. Thursday to the eastbound side of the freeway just south of Crenshaw Boulevard, where they learned the food truck collided with another vehicle, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The vehicle ended up under the truck and both caught on fire.

Video from the scene showed a large vehicle ablaze on the side of the freeway and Los Angeles Fire Department personnel extinguishing the fire.

The victim, a man who appeared around 40 years old, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to LAFD spokeswoman Lyndsey Lantz.

A 32-year-old man from one of the vehicles was in fair condition when taken to a hospital by LAFD personnel, Lantz said.

Three lanes of the eastbound freeway and the Arlington Avenue exit were closed and a SigAlert was issued about 2:45 a.m., the CHP reported.

Another lane was reopened around 6:45 a.m., and three more about an hour later as Caltrans finished clearing the wreckage.

Copyright 2025, City News Service, Inc.