Hilo man dies in Mountain View head-on crash, police cite speeding
Tyler Napoleon, 24, died after a head-on crash on South Glenwood Road, the 17th Hawaii Island traffic fatality of 2026.
A 24-year-old Hilo man died after a head-on crash on South Glenwood Road in Mountain View, a collision that once again put a dangerous Puna corridor under scrutiny. Police said the early-morning wreck involved a motorcycle passing multiple vehicles in a no-passing zone before entering the oncoming lane near a blind hill.
The Hawaii Police Department said officers responded at 12:51 a.m. June 16, when a 2023 Kawasaki Ninja traveling southbound collided with a 2014 Mazda four-door heading north. The rider, Tyler Napoleon of Hilo, was taken to Hilo Benioff Medical Center and pronounced dead at 5:49 a.m. Police said Napoleon was not wearing a helmet.
The Mazda driver, a 43-year-old Volcano man, was not injured. Investigators said speed and reckless driving are believed to be factors, and the East Hawaii Traffic Enforcement Unit is continuing the investigation. Officer Jerome Duarte is the contact for information at 808-961-2339 or Jerome.Duarte@hawaiicounty.gov, and anonymous tips may be made through Crime Stoppers at 808-961-8300.
Beyond the loss to one family, the crash fits a wider traffic pattern on Hawaii Island. As of June 7, the police department reported 14 fatal crashes and 16 fatalities on the island this year, up from 12 fatal crashes and 13 fatalities at the same point in 2025. HPD also reported 343 DUI arrests year-to-date, down from 406 during the same period last year, and 428 major crashes, compared with 449 at the same point in 2025.
Mountain View has already seen another deadly motorcycle crash this year. In August 2025, 34-year-old Hapaki Teixeira of Honokaa died after a collision at Puhala Street and Hibiscus Street, where police said speed was believed to be a factor and Teixeira was not wearing a helmet. Taken together, the two cases underscore how quickly a passing maneuver, a blind rise and a few seconds of excessive speed can turn rural roads into fatal ones, especially on narrow stretches where visibility is limited and enforcement depends on what drivers choose to risk.
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