Police said the 76-year-old man was trying to park when his SUV went onto the sidewalk, hit two people and crashed into a restaurant.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — A 76-year-old driver trying to park in San Francisco’s Chinatown on Friday morning lost control of his SUV, struck two pedestrians on the sidewalk and crashed into a restaurant, killing one victim and injuring another, police said.
The crash happened during the morning business rush in one of the city’s busiest pedestrian districts and quickly drew police, firefighters, medics and building inspectors to Jackson Street near Grant Avenue. Authorities said the driver stayed at the scene and cooperated with investigators. Officers said there were no early signs that alcohol or drugs played a role. By midday, the death had added to growing concern over pedestrian safety in San Francisco after a string of deadly street incidents this year.
Police said the collision was reported at about 7:45 a.m. along Jackson Street near the corner of Grant Avenue, in the heart of Chinatown. The driver had been trying to park when the SUV lurched out of control, crossed onto the sidewalk and hit two adults before slamming into New Lun Ting Cafe, a longtime neighborhood restaurant also known to many locals as the Pork Chop House. Paramedics took both victims to a hospital. One later died. The second was treated for injuries that police described as not life-threatening. Security video reviewed by local television outlets appeared to show the SUV backing toward a space and then suddenly surging forward across the street. Witness Victor Wong told NBC Bay Area that when he reached the front of a nearby van, he saw a person on the ground, motionless and bleeding heavily.
Investigators had not publicly identified the dead victim or the injured pedestrian by Friday evening, and police had not announced any arrest or citation. The driver, identified only as a 76-year-old man, remained at the crash scene after the impact and spoke with officers, according to police accounts carried by several local news outlets. Officials said one of the people hit had been walking on the sidewalk. Another, according to Kim Sagato, the property manager for the damaged building, had been delivering a carpet when the SUV struck him. The vehicle then smashed into the front of the restaurant, leaving broken glass, debris and heavy damage at street level. Building inspectors were sent to check whether the structure was still safe. Authorities had not said Friday whether the vehicle suffered a mechanical failure, whether driver error alone caused the crash, or whether surveillance video from nearby businesses would answer those questions.
The crash landed in a neighborhood where sidewalks are often crowded with residents, shoppers, workers and tourists from early in the morning until late at night. Chinatown is one of San Francisco’s densest districts, and Jackson Street near Grant Avenue carries steady vehicle traffic while also serving heavy foot traffic. City data released this week places Jackson and Grant on San Francisco’s updated High Injury Network, a map of corridors where the most severe and fatal traffic crashes are concentrated. City transportation officials said the new map shows that about 13% of San Francisco streets account for 74% of the most serious collisions. The Chinatown crash also came just one week after an 80-year-old woman in another San Francisco case was sentenced to probation in the 2024 West Portal crash that killed a family of four after she accelerated while trying to park. Friday’s collision was also the city’s second traffic death this week, following a fatal Muni bus incident near Union Square.
Mayor Daniel Lurie said in a public statement that he was saddened by the crash and the life that was lost, adding that his thoughts were with the victims’ loved ones and others affected. His remarks put the Chinatown collision into a wider debate at City Hall over how quickly San Francisco can reduce deaths on streets that remain dangerous for people on foot, especially seniors. Police said the investigation was ongoing, a phrase that in fatal crashes usually means traffic investigators are reviewing camera footage, witness accounts, street evidence and the vehicle itself before deciding whether any criminal charge or traffic enforcement action is warranted. No formal charging decision had been announced by late Friday. The medical examiner is expected to identify the person who died after family notification. Police also had not said whether they would release more details about the injured survivor, the driver’s account of what happened, or any findings about speed at the moment of impact.
At street level, the damage hit more than a crash scene. It struck a business and a block that neighbors describe as part of the daily rhythm of Chinatown. New Lun Ting Cafe has long been known in the neighborhood, and residents told local reporters the owner is a familiar figure who has kept the restaurant tied closely to the community. Myron Lee told NBC Bay Area that the owner, Francis, runs the restaurant as a service to Chinatown and has long tried to keep prices low. By Friday, police tape and shattered glass marked the storefront while officers and inspectors moved in and out of the block. For witnesses, the scene was jarring because the crash unfolded during an ordinary morning task, a driver attempting to park, on a block where people were walking to work, making deliveries and opening businesses. The contrast between that routine setting and the sudden violence of the impact left the neighborhood confronting another public death on a city sidewalk.
As of Friday night, police had released few details beyond the basic sequence of events, and the central questions remained the same: what caused the SUV to surge forward, whether any medical or mechanical issue contributed, and whether investigators will recommend charges or other action. The next likely milestone is identification of the dead pedestrian and any additional statement from police after the traffic investigation advances.
Author note: Last updated March 27, 2026.