Haunted San Diego: The Legend of the Dead Old Man on Bonita Road

There are many cultural landmarks that are important to see in beautiful San Diego.

But some may not be what you’d think.

Consider the manifestation on haunted Bonita Road.

Haunted San Diego: The Legend of the Dead Old Man on Bonita Road

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The Most Paranormal Street in San Diego

Updated 2/10/2020 – According to local legend, there once was an elderly man who attempted to cross Bonita one rainy day.

As he began to cross, a car appeared, speeding down the street.

The car struck the man, and continued on his commute.

The elderly man hoped someone would drive by and see him, but nobody did for some time.

The man succumbed to his many injuries shortly after.

The driver was never caught.

Now, there are some who live near Bonita who agree it is a very creepy street.

One such individual is San Diego native, Chloe.

She had a direct experience with the haunting on that now infamous road.

Chasing the Spirit Down

How far would you walk down a haunted road?

“I’ve always been interested in ghosts, so when I moved into the neighborhood, and heard Bonita was haunted, I was pretty geeked,” Chloe said with a grin.

A few days of unpacking later and I decided to find a flashlight and drive over to Bonita Road myself.

It was like a…a christening ritual with the neighborhood, if you will,” she said, with a brisk nod.

“Bonita isn’t far from my house, but I took the car so I could grab a quart of milk on my way back home.

I pulled over on Bonita, and turned off my engine.

At that point I knew who the spirit supposedly was, but I did not know how he manifested—in what form,” Chloe explained.

“I started to wander aimlessly down the street, looking for anything unusual.

Maybe this spirit would appear in the street, where he had died, or maybe he would appear on the sidewalk, when he searched for help.

I was also listening for disembodied voices,” she added, looking pensive.

“I had to have been out there for about an hour, just standing around like an idiot,” she laughed at herself.

“Finally I decided that if there was a spirit there, he didn’t seem to want to speak to me.

I was smiling and chuckling to myself as I walked back to my car.

“I hopped in and took off, heading south.

I had been driving for just a few minutes when I approached a traffic light, and the light had just turned red.

I looked in my rear-view mirror as I slowed down, and there, sitting in my backseat was a man.

A man that I could see completely through,” she whispered, getting teary eyed.

“Then, I was colliding with the minivan in front of me—I was so overcome with surprise at the spirit’s appearance, I took my foot off the brake.

I stared in disbelief at the van’s rear window, which was practically in my lap.

I looked into my rear-view mirror, but the man’s apparition was gone.

“Everyone tells me I suffered a concussion during the accident, and that’s what they mention every time I bring up the ghost,” Chloe sighed, exasperated.

“That the spirit was caused by my head trauma.

They conveniently don’t hear me when I tell them I saw the spirit before the accident.

“There are a ton of people in San Diego, who don’t believe that Bonita Road is haunted,” she murmured.

“And they’ll keep believing it until something happens to them.

I pray they remain safe on that day.”