Apple is one of the most secretive companies in the world, and some of those secrets may have been exposed in a fatal box truck crash Wednesday on Highway 101 in San Jose.
The early morning crash near McKee Road left one man dead and another injured. Sources said both are retired police officers from the Los Angeles area. The California Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.
The men were armed and guarding a very special load for Apple, a source told NBC Bay Area.
The driver, who survived, told police he nodded off just after 3:30 a.m. Wednesday while driving north from Los Angeles. The passenger was asleep in the back of the cabin when the crash occurred, and he was killed. The Santa Clara County coroner identified him as 64-year-old Richard Bartolo, a retired police officer from the Irvine Police Department.
"There are a lot of questions that still remain open, which is why we are continuing the investigation," CHP spokesman Ross Lee said.
Multiple sources told NBC Bay Area the men were working for SIS Security, which has an office in San Jose. The sources say the men were transporting highly sensitive products for Apple.
The CHP said it doesn't know the nature of the cargo, and it's still under investigation.
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The men did not need a commercial drivers license to drive the box truck, which is similar to a moving van. But the CHP said since they were transporting commercial items, the men needed to follow rest regulations as required by the state. And they needed to keep a log, which they did.
"From shift start time to the start of the collision, they had not exceeded any of the hours required for rest," Lee said.
Apple did not confirm the items inside the truck were theirs.
The security company issued condolences to the victim's family on its website, and the Irvine police chief said: "Rich was an incredible man who was loved by everyone at the Irvine Police Department. We thank him for his dedicated service to his community. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family."
