Rash of teen jaywalking near Fashion Fair draws complaints. What’s Fresno’s fix?
The city of Fresno has received more than a dozen complaints from residents in recent years about a large, gaping hole in a median barrier near Fashion Fair Mall that jaywalkers, including teens, use as a shortcut.
Last month, two juveniles were hit by a car near First Street and Fairmont Avenue, which is directly in sight of Carter G. Woodson Multimedia School and within walking distance of Tioga Middle School. Fresno police Sgt. Diana Trueba Vega said initial reports suggested the kids may have been running in traffic.
A chain link fence lines the median separating the northbound and southbound lanes of First Street. The fence contains signage that says there’s no pedestrian crossing and was installed to direct pedestrians to crossings at the Shaw or Santa Ana avenue intersections. However, a large hole in the fence can often be seen on First Street near Fairmont Avenue.
Why does the hole remain a constant fixture in a high-foot-traffic area?
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Between September 2023 and March 2026, the city of Fresno received 18 complaints about the hole in the median fence. Ten of these complaints explicitly mentioned children using the open section of the fence to jaywalk.
Tioga Middle faculty members are aware of the fence issue and have addressed it with students, Fresno Unified spokesperson A.J. Kato said. She said that, according to Principal Kevin Evangelinos, the city has repaired the fence numerous times, but it is continually damaged in the same spot.
Linda Scott, CEO of Agape Schools, which oversees Carter G. Woodson Multimedia School, declined to comment.
Sontaya Rose, spokesperson for the City of Fresno, said the median fence was installed to direct pedestrians to the crosswalks at Shaw or Santa Ana avenues.
“Unfortunately, it has been repeatedly vandalized — our crews repair it, and within hours it’s often cut again,” Rose said. “Despite our best efforts, it remains a constant challenge to keep the fence intact.”
Rose said the city wasn’t able to share exactly how many times the hole has been repaired or when it was last fixed because “repairs are made as soon as damage is discovered.”
It’s unclear whether the city has exploring other solutions to discourage people from cutting the fence to jaywalk, such as replacing the chain-link fence with stronger material.
This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 2:29 PM.
