Teenager killed on Atwater highway was apparent suicide

Investigators believe a 15-year-old pedestrian killed Wednesday on Highway 99 committed suicide, according to the Merced County Sheriff’s Office.

The teenager was seen around 5:22 p.m. “crouched” on the shoulder of the southbound lane of the highway near Applegate Road and then darted out into oncoming traffic, Undersheriff Jason Goins told the Sun-Star on Thursday morning.

“This does appear to have been an intentional act on his part,” Goins said. “It’s very tragic for everybody involved.”

The Sheriff’s Office has taken over the investigation after the initial collision report was made by the California Highway Patrol.

Goins said it was too early to comment on why detectives believe the teenager took his own life.

He was struck by a 2015 Hyundai Elantra driven by a Fresno resident. The driver of the vehicle is not believed to have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol, authorities have said.

Traffic was backed up for several hours after the collision while investigators kept one lane of the highway closed.

This story was originally published August 25, 2016 at 10:55 AM with the headline "Teenager killed on Atwater highway was apparent suicide."