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Philip Angelo Ramizan Nievas

Age : 22

Gender : Male

Race : Asian

Date : 04/26/2021

Location : Lawrence Expressway and Mitty Way

City : San Jose

County : Santa Clara

State : California

Agency : Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office

Officer(s) :Ryan Vesey

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Bystander killed by police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

REASON FOR CHASE: Santa Clara County Sheriff's Deputy Ryan Vesey chased a vehicle for traffic in fractions until it hit a bystander vehicle.
NARRATIVE:
On 04/26/2021, 25-year-old Precious Lean Ramizan Nievas and her 22-year-old brother, Philip Angelo Ramizan Nievas, were killed when a Honda Accord fleeing Santa Clara County Sheriff's Deputy Ryan Vesey crashed into their Toyota Camry at Lawrence Expressway and Mitty Way in San Jose. The siblings were returning home from work and were only minutes from their family's home.
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At approximately 9:53 p.m., Vesey was driving behind the Honda on Lawrence Expressway when he activated his emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop. Vesey did not activate his siren. The driver accelerated away and Vesey pursued north on Lawrence Expressway.
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Vesey initially told San Jose police investigators that he attempted the stop because the driver changed lanes and made a U-turn without signaling. Subsequent examination of Vesey's dash-camera recording showed that the driver had used his turn signal. Vesey later changed his account and said he attempted the stop because the Honda was speeding.
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The fleeing vehicle continued north on Lawrence Expressway at extremely high speed. Precious and Philip were traveling south and had a green arrow to turn left onto Mitty Way. As they entered the intersection, the vehicle under pursuit ran the red light at approximately 97 to 98 mph and broadsided their Camry.
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The force of the collision propelled the Camry approximately 200 to 250 feet into a concrete sound wall, where it came to rest on its side. Precious and Philip were pronounced dead at the scene.
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Precious was born in Manila, Philippines, on 06/26/1995. She was the oldest of five children. After her mother died from leukemia when the children were young, Precious assumed a maternal role in the family and helped care for her younger siblings. Approximately five years before her death, her father, Al Nievas, moved the family from the Philippines to the United States seeking a better life.
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Precious and Philip worked together at Cepheid in Sunnyvale and were driving home from work when they were killed. Their brother Patrick said they were approximately three minutes from home.
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Precious's boyfriend, John Clemente, described her as the love of his life and said he had planned to propose after they finished school. Family and friends remembered Precious as selfless, hardworking and caring. The family's GoFundMe described her as a mother figure to her younger siblings and remembered her for a smile people would not forget.
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Precious and Philip were buried following a joint service on 05/06/2021. Their funeral home published their full names, dates of birth, birthplace in Manila, photographs and a joint tribute video containing additional family images.
LAWSUIT:

Precious and Philip's father, Al Nievas, sued Santa Clara County over Deputy Vesey's pursuit. The lawsuit alleged that Vesey initiated an unlawful and dangerous pursuit for a minor traffic matter, failed to activate his siren and violated Sheriff's Office pursuit policy.
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In March 2025, Santa Clara County approved a $5 million settlement with Al Nievas over the deaths of Precious and Philip.
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Deputy Ryan Vesey was not criminally charged for his role in the pursuit. Whether the Sheriff's Office disciplined Vesey has not been publicly established; the department declined a records request seeking related training or disciplinary information.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Santa Clara County Sheriff's Deputy Ryan Vesey initiated the pursuit. Subsequent litigation and investigative reporting established that his original stated justification for the traffic stop was contradicted by his dash-camera recording. Vesey remained employed by the Sheriff's Office as of the 2025 settlement.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.ktvu.com/news/siblings-identified-as-victims-killed-by-fleeing-driver-in-san-jose
https://www.ktvu.com/news/two-siblings-killed-in-san-jose-crash-remembered-as-hard-working-helpers
https://beddingfieldfuneralservice.com/obits21.htm
https://asianjournal.com/usa/northerncalifornia/fil-am-siblings-killed-by-driver-fleeing-police-in-san-jose/
https://mb.com.ph/2021/05/04/fil-am-siblings-killed-in-crash-by-driver-being-chased-by-police/
https://www.sfchronicle.com/projects/2024/police-chases/
https://www.sfchronicle.com/us-world/article/police-chases-methodology-18685158.php
https://edition.pagesuite.com/tribune/article_popover.aspx?guid=4ed252af-391e-4dee-a995-a345d4177755
https://alexanderlaw.com/blog/5-million-settlement-for-illegal-police-pursuit/