The stolen van from yesterday’s incident, now at a tow shop in Old Town | Ryan Burns

PREVIOUSLY: 

Eureka Police Department release:

On July 21, 2025, at approximately 6:53 PM, Eureka Police Department (EPD) patrol officers and  Humboldt Bay Fire (HBF) responded to a fully engulfed van fire in the parking lot of a business in the  800 block of Broadway. HBF personnel quickly initiated fire suppression efforts. Unfortunately, the  van’s driver was found deceased at the scene. 

Following standard protocol, EPD’s Criminal Investigations Unit and Major/Fatal Injury Traffic Investigations responded to investigate the incident. 


Preliminary Timeline of Events (approximate): 

  • 6:46 PM – Fortuna Police Department contacted EPD’s Communications Center to report a stolen vehicle: a New Life Service van. 
  • 6:47 PM – The van’s owner informed EPD the vehicle may be entering Eureka, though the  information was second-hand. 
  • 6:50 PM – California Highway Patrol advised EPD the van was speeding northbound on U.S.  Highway 101 and may have hit a guardrail. 
  • 6:50 PM – A witness reported to EPD the van was traveling north on Broadway, driving into  oncoming traffic. 
  • 6:51 PM – EPD received a call reporting a fully engulfed van on fire on the 800 block of  Broadway, with one person still inside. 
  • 6:53 PM – An EPD officer arrived on scene and confirmed the van had been involved in a  collision and was fully engulfed in flames.

Initial Findings: 

  • The stolen van was traveling north on Broadway at a high rate of speed when it veered off the  road, jumped the northeast curb at W. Grant Street, and continued north along the sidewalk.
  • It entered a parking lot in the 900 block of Broadway, crossed W. Washington Street, broke  through a fence, and collided into two parked vehicles—one of which was occupied.
  • The impact scattered debris, injuring three pedestrians. 
  • The van caught fire upon hitting a curb, then became engulfed, igniting one of the vehicles it  struck. 
  • A total of 12 vehicles were damaged in the incident.
  • The occupant of the parked vehicle and the injured pedestrians were transported to a local  hospital with minor to moderate injuries. 
  • The van’s driver, a female, was pronounced deceased at the scene. 

The Humboldt County Coroner’s Office is working to confirm the driver’s identity and notify next of kin. 

Anyone who witnessed the incident or has relevant information is asked to contact EPD’s Criminal  Investigations Unit at 707-441-4300.