GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Sept. 23, 2025 — The Mesa County Coroner’s Office has identified the man who died in a single-vehicle crash on Sept. 20 as Joseph Mendez, 30, of Denver.
According to the coroner, Mendez was driving in the early morning hours when his vehicle left the roadway, went through a guardrail, and landed in the canal near 649 Horizon Drive in Grand Junction. He was not wearing a seatbelt and was pronounced dead at the scene.
An autopsy determined his cause of death was related to the motor-vehicle incident. The Grand Junction Police Department is overseeing the investigation and will release any further updates.