Pedestrian on the 5 Freeway in Boyle Heights dies after being hit by vehicle

A person was struck and killed by a vehicle on the 5 Freeway on Tuesday morning, according to authorities.

The pedestrian was hit shortly before 3 a.m. in the southbound lane of the freeway near South Lorena Street in Boyle Heights, the California Highway Patrol said. The person was declared dead on the freeway at 3:10 a.m. The Los Angeles Fire Department and the driver who hit the person remained on the scene after the collision.

The driver, whose vehicle was a 2019 Hyundai Ioniq, was not injured and was not arrested, according to the CHP.

It’s unclear why the pedestrian was on the freeway. Before the person was struck, the CHP received reports of a man walking on the southbound side of the freeway south of Euclid Avenue. Police established a traffic break north of the reported location, but then found the body of the pedestrian in the second lane.

The pedestrian was not identified. Traffic on the freeway was affected for approximately two hours, but lanes have since reopened, according to Officer Robert Gomez with the CHP.