Waymo van crashes into parked cars in Los Angeles

Surveillance video captures the incident near Dodger Stadium involving a new Waymo model in manual driving mode.

Jan. 28, 2026 at 10:07am

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Shocking surveillance footage shows a new Waymo vehicle, operating in manual driving mode, crashing into several parked cars on a narrow street near Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The Waymo specialist behind the wheel was uninjured, but a nearby man narrowly avoided being hit while unloading groceries.

Why it matters

This incident raises questions about the safety of Waymo's new van-like model and the ability of their autonomous specialists to maintain control of the vehicles, especially in dense urban environments. It also highlights the ongoing challenges self-driving companies face in ensuring the safety of their technology.

The details

The video captured the Waymo vehicle, a new model called the "Ojai", leaving the roadway and crashing into multiple parked cars on a narrow street. Waymo confirmed the vehicle was in "manual driving mode", meaning a Waymo specialist was behind the wheel at the time of the crash, and there were no passengers inside. The nearby man, Salvador Donantonio, had to run out of the way to avoid being hit as the Waymo vehicle slammed into the parked cars.

  • The incident occurred on January 28, 2026.

The players

Waymo

An autonomous driving company and subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., Google's parent company, that is developing self-driving technology.

Salvador Donantonio

A man who was unloading groceries nearby and narrowly avoided being hit by the Waymo vehicle as it crashed into parked cars.

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What they’re saying

“When I turned my face that way, I saw the car coming straight, fast. He was hitting all the plants until he went up the hill, and my reaction was running, run!”

— Salvador Donantonio (abc7.com)

What’s next

Waymo has not yet commented on the specific cause of the crash or what actions they will take to investigate the incident and ensure the safety of their new Ojai model.

The takeaway

This crash highlights the ongoing challenges self-driving companies face in ensuring the safety of their vehicles, even when operated by trained specialists. It raises concerns about the readiness of Waymo's new Ojai model and the ability of their autonomous systems to maintain control in dense urban environments.