Ari Green, 50, died after a box truck struck his work vehicle as he performed streetlight repairs for the city.
SAN JOSE, CA — A San Jose city electrician died after a box truck struck the work vehicle he was using while repairing a streetlight, sending him to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, authorities and local news reports said.
The worker was identified by his family as 50-year-old Ari Green, an electrician with the San Jose Department of Transportation. The collision happened at about 10:30 a.m. Aug. 25 in the area of Hillsdale and Narvaez avenues, near Guadalupe Parkway and Highway 87. Police said Green was working from the elevated bucket of a city vehicle when the crash occurred.
According to police accounts reported by NBC Bay Area and ABC7 News, a box truck struck the crane or bucket truck Green was using, causing the person in the bucket to fall. Green was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries and later died. The box truck driver remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators, police said.
San Jose police are investigating the collision. Cal/OSHA, the state agency responsible for workplace safety, is also investigating the death, KTVU reported. No finding about the cause of the crash or responsibility for the collision had been announced in the reports reviewed for this story.
Green’s family told KTVU that he took pride in his work for the city. His crew repaired about 50 to 100 streetlights a month that had been stripped of copper wiring, according to the family. San Jose has dealt with widespread copper-wire theft from its streetlight system, and the city maintains a public process for reporting damaged poles, exposed wires and lights that are not working.
Green’s sister, Cindy Gallegos, told KTVU that her brother had recently received employee-of-the-month recognition and was proud of the honor. She described him as a warm and easygoing person who enjoyed his job. His family said it was seeking more information about how the crash happened and hoped witnesses would assist investigators.
Mayor Matt Mahan, City Manager Jennifer Maguire and Department of Transportation Director John Ristow issued a joint statement after the death, mourning the city employee and thanking him for his public service. “We are deeply heartbroken about his passing and grateful for his public service,” the city said. Officials also urged motorists to slow down and give adequate space to maintenance crews, construction workers and emergency personnel working along roadways.
Mahan later told KTVU that the investigation could help determine whether additional steps might make city work sites safer. Green’s family was planning a memorial, and city officials planned to recognize his public service at an upcoming City Council meeting. Police and Cal/OSHA investigations remained ongoing in the latest reports reviewed.
Author note: Last updated September 1, 2026.