Another jaywalker is dead, killed on a Phoenix street.
According to the Phoenix Police Department, around 9:24 p.m. on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, officers responded to the area of 1100 North 44th Street regarding a collision involving a pedestrian. When officers arrived, they found 69-year-old Joseph Valentino Jr. unresponsive. The Phoenix Fire Department arrived on scene and pronounced Valentino Jr. deceased.
Detectives believe that Valentino Jr. was pushing a shopping cart across North 44th Street, not using a crosswalk, when he was struck by a car. The driver, an 18-year-old adult male, remained on scene. A drug recognition expert from VCU evaluated the driver for impairment and observed signs and symptoms consistent with alcohol impairment. The driver was taken into custody and transported to a local precinct for processing. Detectives also obtained a search warrant for a blood sample to determine if the driver was intoxicated.
A 19-year-old male passenger in the vehicle sustained minor injuries and remained on scene when officers arrived.
Additional information related to this incident remains part of the ongoing investigation. Final charging decisions will be made once the reconstruction is completed by detectives and toxicology results are known.
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