20-year-old man found dead in Southside Berkeley

The young dead man was found in the 2500 block of Piedmont Avenue south of the UC Berkeley campus. Image: Google Maps

Update, Dec. 22, 2 p.m. The Berkeley Police Department is not releasing the name of the deceased man at this time, and does not know whether he was a UC Berkeley student. Said Officer Byron White, a Berkeley Police spokesman, “At this point, the circumstances surrounding the death are consistent with death by accidental causes.”

Original post, Dec. 20, 3:10 p.m. A 20-year-old man was found dead on the street in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Berkeley Police said they responded to a report of an unresponsive male in the 2500 block of Piedmont Avenue in Southside Berkeley at approximately 3:59 a.m. on Dec. 20.

Berkeley Police and Fire personnel arrived within minutes and discovered a 20-year-old male, deceased, just outside his residence.

BPD said it is investigating the case as a suspicious death, although it does not appear that foul play was involved. Alcohol may have been a factor, the police reported in a release issued at around 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

The Alameda County coroner’s office took custody of the deceased.

Authorities are not releasing the identity of the dead man to ensure proper notification has been made to his family.

The 2500 block of Piedmont Avenue is in the heart of UC Berkeley’s fraternity and sorority residential area. It is not known whether the man who died was affiliated with either Cal or a fraternity.

A 20-year-old man was found dead last month at the Zeta Psi fraternity at 2728 Bancroft Ave., the day after the frat threw a large party that drew hundreds of attendees.

Berkeleyside will update this story when it tracks down further information.

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Tracey Taylor