High school student ID’d as pedestrian killed on Highway 99 in Fresno

A 16-year-old student at Justin Garza High School was identified as the person killed in a collision on Highway 99 in Fresno on Thursday morning.

Maxwell Thompson was attempting to cross the northbound lanes of the highway toward the center divider, when he was hit by a pickup truck, according to California Highway Patrol. Officers and emergency medical personnel arrived within minutes and began life-saving measures, but Thompson died on scene.

The Fresno County Coroner’s Office confirmed the victim’s identity Friday.

This is the second pedestrian death reported along Highway 99 in the past two weeks. A 37-year-old man was struck and killed late last month while walking in traffic on southbound 99 near Fresno Street. In that instance, the man had jumped out his car, leaving it abandoned in the fast lane.

CHP urges drivers to immediately report anyone they see walking along, or attempting to cross, a freeway.

“Freeways are designed for high-speed vehicle travel and leave drivers with little to no time to react to unexpected hazards,” CHP Commander, Captain Ian Holguin said in a news release Thursday.

“Pedestrians on freeways are at extreme risk,” he said.

“This is an incredibly tragic loss, especially involving someone so young.”

This story was originally published February 6, 2026 at 11:38 AM.