Suspected DUI Driver Hit a 30-Person Halloween Bike Ride in Montclair
Updated On: October 26, 2026
A suspected DUI driver struck about 30 riders on a Montclair Halloween bike ride, killing two.
A group of about 30 cyclists set out Saturday night on a self-organized Halloween ride through Montclair, California. Two of them did not come home. Police say a driver struck several riders and left, and that the man they arrested hours later is suspected of driving under the influence.
According to the Montclair Police Department, the crash happened at about 10:39 PM. Saturday, October 24, at Kingsley Street and Tudor Avenue. The riders were heading east on Kingsley when a westbound 2021 Honda Accord struck several of them and kept going.
One rider was pronounced dead at the scene minutes later. A woman was taken to a hospital, where she died early Sunday. A third rider has major injuries and is in stable condition, and a fourth had minor injuries and declined treatment. Police have not released the victims’ names. Witnesses told police the ride was self-coordinated, and police stressed it was not sponsored, organized, or affiliated with the city.
How Police Found the Driver
Using witness information, officers located the driver at his home near the scene. One source reports that a neighbor followed the fleeing vehicle and helped police, while another source puts the home about a mile from the crash. Police arrested 38-year-old Valentin Alberto Rodriguez of Montclair at about 2:40 AM, roughly four hours after the crash. He was booked at West Valley Detention Center on suspicion of:
- DUI causing injury or death
- driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or higher causing injury or death
- felony hit-and-run involving death or serious injury
- gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated
He has not been convicted, and no formal charges have been reported.
What’s Still Unconfirmed
Witnesses said the driver dragged a victim for at least a mile and left a blood-stained car behind. Police haven’t confirmed that. Reports also don’t explain how a westbound car came to strike riders heading east, how fast it was going, or what Rodriguez’s blood alcohol level was.
California presumes a driver’s blood alcohol level at the time of driving matched a test taken within three hours. The arrest here came about four hours after the crash, so prosecutors may need toxicology experts to estimate his level at the time of driving. That is a routine challenge in cases where a driver isn’t found right away.
The Numbers Behind the Risk
NHTSA counted 1,103 bicyclist deaths in 2024. About 52% of those deaths happened in the dark, and alcohol (a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or higher for the driver, the cyclist, or both) was reported in 33% of fatal bicyclist crashes. This crash came a week before Halloween night itself, but NHTSA data show why the season worries safety officials: from 2019 to 2023, 198 people died in alcohol-related crashes on Halloween night. Nothing in the reporting suggests the riders did anything wrong.
What This Could Mean Legally
If Rodriguez is convicted, the felony counts are separate from any civil case. Families of the two riders who died can pursue wrongful death claims, generally within two years, and injured riders can pursue personal injury claims. California law allows punitive damages in drunk-driving cases that show conscious disregard for others’ safety, and a conviction or guilty plea can be powerful evidence in a civil case.
Insurance may be the harder part. California’s minimum liability coverage is $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident, which would be stretched across several victims. Riders’ own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage may help, depending on the policy. Because police say the ride had no organizer or sponsor, there is no event organizer to look to.
Our condolences go out to the families of the two riders who died and to everyone who was on the ride.
If you or someone you love was hurt or killed by a drunk driver, the independent attorneys we connect you with can help you understand every source of recovery, from the driver’s insurance to your own coverage.
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