Press Democrat carrier dies after car rolls on him while delivering newspapers

A longtime Press Democrat carrier was killed early Saturday, apparently run over by his car while delivering newspapers in Santa Rosa’s Oakmont community.

The man was exiting the driver’s seat while the car was in reverse, the Santa Rosa Police Department said.

First responders arrived at 6:45 a.m. on Aspen Meadows Circle, where they found his body underneath the car, Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Marcus Sprague said.

On Sunday, police declined to identify the man and his employer, pending notification of his family. However, Troy Niday, chief operations officer of Sonoma Media Investments, which owns The Press Democrat, confirmed the man killed was an independent contractor who had been delivering newspapers for the company on and off for the past 15 years.

“He was beloved by his customers - a quality human being. It’s just tragic what happened to him,” Niday said.

The Press Democrat is not publishing the carrier’s name to allow time for family to be contacted.

“I’ve been in this business for 30 years. ... I’ve never seen anything like this,” Niday said. This is a freak accident.”

Niday said the man had worked different routes over the years but spent the past several delivering papers in Oakmont.

“He was very attentive to all of his customers’ needs. He went out of his way,” Niday said. “He was reliable. If they had needs or requests for specific delivery locations, he always met those needs.”

You can reach Staff Writer Susan Minichiello at 707-521-5216.