The death of another kid from Los Osos High School has shocked the town of Rancho Cucamonga, California, in a tragic and painful sequence of events. A promising young man named Connor Furtain tragically took his own life on the 210 Freeway, becoming the second student from the same school to commit suicide on the same freeway in less than three weeks. The tragic event transpires after Emily Gold, a cheerleader and senior student, took her own life on the same stretch of road in similar circumstances earlier. All of these events have plunged the community into a deep state of mourning, introspection, and demands for more awareness of the mental health issues that today’s kids face.
The Severe Morning Incident on Interstate 210
Emergency services were dispatched to Interstate 210, also referred to as the “Foothill Freeway,” on a dismal Thursday morning after receiving several reports of a jumper. The California Highway Patrol (CHP) said that just before jumping onto the heavily traveled freeway below, someone had been spotted close to the overpass at Haven Avenue. The person, later identified as 17-year-old Connor Furtain, a student at Los Osos High School, was declared dead at the site despite the efforts of first responders.
The sad event resulted in numerous lanes of the freeway being closed to allow police, emergency personnel, and detectives to respond to the scene, which caused severe traffic delays right away. The incident caused a traffic bottleneck that left hundreds of drivers delayed because they were ignorant of the full extent of the disaster. News of the incident immediately traveled around the neighborhood via social media and news sources.
The fact that Connor died just eighteen days after another young life was lost in virtually the same manner was enough to frost the sensibilities of many. On this identical stretch of freeway, Los Osos High School classmate Emily Gold, who had lately become somewhat famous after making an appearance on the hit television program “America’s Got Talent,” also took her own life. The town of Rancho Cucamonga, and especially the school community, is still reeling from both incidents, experiencing intense sadness, bewilderment, and a profound feeling of loss.
