Several fatal incidents involving men dying in the Las Vegas area occurred in May 2026, most notably vehicle and traffic collisions tracked by local authorities:
Boulder Highway Crash (May 22, 2026): A 55-year-old man died at the scene of a multi-vehicle collision on Boulder Highway near Russell Road and Desert Horizons Drive after a speeding Hyundai Elantra driven by Zachary Zwick crashed into a Chrysler Pacifica. Two other individuals were left in critical condition.
Northwest Las Vegas Truck Crash (May 14, 2026): Gilbert Joseph Jr., 68, was killed when his Ford F-150 crossed travel lanes on Jones Boulevard, struck a metal light pole, and hit a fence near West Iron Mountain Road. Police noted this marked the 45th traffic fatality in LVMPD's jurisdiction for the year.
North Las Vegas Reckless Driving Incident (May 2, 2026): While a 31-year-old driver's reckless vehicle strike tragically killed 17-year-old Janiah “Smiley” Gant and severely injured her sister on Simmons Street near Craig Road, the driver (Triquan Hughs) was arrested and faced multiple felony charges.
Several notable and tragic deaths were reported in the Las Vegas area during May 2025, spanning violent crimes, festival incidents, and traffic collisions:EDC Weekend Deaths: Two separate deaths were linked to the Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) weekend mid-May. Azmi Atassi (33) of Flagstaff, Arizona, and Opkar Mahal (39) of North Las Vegas died on Sunday, May 19, 2025. One suffered a medical episode at the festival grounds at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, while the other was found deceased in a hotel room.Las Vegas Athletic Club Gym Shooting: On Friday, May 16, 2025, a shooting inside a west Las Vegas gym left two people dead, including the armed suspect who was shot by responding officers, and injured at least three others.East Las Vegas Murder-Suicide: On May 13, 2025, police investigated a murder-suicide on South Sandhill Road where a man fatally shot his wife before turning the gun on himself.Found Body of Matthew Kelemen: On or around May 27, 2025, authorities discovered the remains of 56-year-old freelance writer Matthew Kelemen inside a container at a downtown Las Vegas business. His roommate was identified as a suspect.Las Vegas Strip Hit-and-Run: On May 30, 2025, 29-year-old Jeffrey Diedenhofen was killed after being struck by a vehicle near Flamingo Road and Las Vegas Boulevard.Traffic and Other Violence: Various other fatal traffic collisions—including a southwest valley crash on May 15 that marked a milestone traffic fatality for Metro's jurisdiction—and a juvenile homicide in North Las Vegas on May 16 were also recorded during the month.
On Wednesday, the Clark County Coroner’s Office identified the driver as 55-year-old Jeffrey Buchbaum. His cause of death was listed as blunt force injuries.
The Clark County Education Association later identified Buchbaum on social media as a special education teacher for 22 years at several schools