World-Champion Pizza Maker From Italy Dies Following Temecula Crash

TEMECULA, CA — A motorcyclist who suffered major injuries Thursday night in a Temecula crash has died, authorities announced.

Luca De Marinis, 37, of Temecula succumbed to his injuries at Wildomar's Inland Valley Hospital about four hours after the 6:58 p.m. crash at Wolf Valley Road and Caminito Olite, the coroner's bureau reported.

Friends and colleagues of De Marinis are remembering him on social media. Posts show he was a world-champion pizza maker who hailed from Italy, traveled the globe, met a lot of people, and wore a smile wherever he went.

"My heart aches to hear the news of the loss of Luca De Marinis. His heart was filled with so much passion and joy for the art of pizza and life itself. His energy was contagious and will be sorely missed," one person shared. "He was one of the absolute best pizza makers and a pizza champion. He held his craft to the highest standard and expected to present only his best."

Another wrote, "Luca your smile was contagious. We saw [you] last time in Vegas at the Pizza Expo ... . You were helping the whole team without stopping. We will miss you! Ciao Luca De Marinis."

According to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, De Marinis was riding northbound on Wolf Valley Road when a southbound passenger vehicle pulled in front of him to make a left turn onto Caminito Olite.

There is no stop sign on Wolf Valley Road, so De Marinis had the apparent right-of-way.

It's not clear at what speed De Marinis or the passenger vehicle were traveling.

When deputies arrived at the crash scene, they found De Marinis on the ground and unresponsive.

Alcohol and/or drugs are not suspected to be factors, according to the sheriff's department.

Wolf Valley Road near Camino Olite was temporarily closed as deputies processed the scene and collected evidence.

Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call Deputy Ott of the Southwest Station at 951-696-3000 or the sheriff's department at 951-776-1099.