The L.A. County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office has identified the body discovered in the southbound Interstate 5 truck route tunnel in the Newhall Pass around 10 a.m. on Thursday. The deceased individual has been confirmed as Manuel Venegas, a 42-year-old man.
Officer Josh Greengard, the public information officer for the California Highway Patrol’s Newhall office, reported that the CHP received calls regarding a body found on the right shoulder of the Interstate 5 southbound truck route’s second tunnel, just south of the Highway 14 connector, at approximately 10:15 a.m.
Upon reaching the scene, Newhall-area units administered CPR to the pedestrian. Greengard conveyed in a text message to The Signal, “After the Fire Department arrived, a paramedic pronounced the pedestrian deceased.”
Greengard added that the decedent’s vehicle was discovered on the overcrossing from southbound Interstate 5 to northbound Highway 14.
The cause of Venegas’s death was officially determined to be suicide, as indicated by the L.A. County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office website.
If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or a crisis, you can reach out immediately to the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741. These services are free and confidential.
