A fatal incident at a Costco gas station in Camarillo, California, has led to a murder charge against a 35-year-old man after a 28-year-old pedestrian was struck by a vehicle and later died at a hospital.
Abba Bryski, an Agoura Hills resident whose occupation is listed in jail records as an educator and rabbi, was arrested on October 20, 2026, following the incident near the gas pumps on West Ventura Boulevard.
The victim, who has not been publicly identified by authorities, was from Modesto, California. Investigators are treating his death as a homicide, although officials have not yet publicly explained what led to the encounter or why the incident resulted in a murder charge.
The case remains under investigation as detectives work to establish the circumstances surrounding the man’s death.
What happened at the Costco gas station?
Deputies with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the Costco parking lot at approximately 8:37 p.m. on Tuesday, October 20, after receiving a report that a man had been struck by a vehicle.
When officers arrived, witnesses directed them toward the driver involved in the incident. Deputies detained Bryski at the scene while emergency responders attended to the injured man.
The victim was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Detectives from the Sheriff’s Major Crimes Bureau and the Camarillo Investigations Unit responded to investigate. The Major Crimes Bureau subsequently took responsibility for the case and began investigating the death as a homicide.
Authorities have not released a detailed account of what happened immediately before the collision. They have also not publicly confirmed a motive or described the events that led investigators to pursue a murder charge.
Those unanswered questions are likely to remain central to the investigation as detectives gather evidence and review witness accounts.
Why investigators are treating the death as a homicide
A fatal vehicle incident does not automatically result in a murder charge. Investigators must examine the available evidence and circumstances to determine whether criminal conduct may have occurred.
In this case, authorities arrested Bryski on a murder charge rather than announcing the incident as a traffic collision alone. However, officials have not publicly disclosed the specific evidence underlying that decision.
The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office is responsible for determining the official cause and manner of death. That examination can help establish the medical circumstances surrounding a death, while detectives continue investigating the events that preceded it.
The distinction matters because the medical findings and the criminal investigation address different questions. The medical examiner determines how the person died, while investigators and prosecutors examine whether the death involved criminal conduct and whether the evidence supports charges.
Until additional information is released or presented in court, the circumstances leading to the man’s death remain unclear.
The victim was a 28-year-old man from Modesto
Authorities have identified the victim by his age and hometown but have not publicly released his name.
The man was transported to a hospital after the incident, but medical personnel were unable to save him.
The lack of publicly released information about his identity has also left many details about his life and the circumstances surrounding the incident unknown.
Investigators are asking anyone who witnessed the incident or has relevant information to contact the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.
Detective Erik Hernandez can be reached at 805-384-4729, and Detective Gerardo Cruz can be reached at 805-384-4726.
Witness information may help detectives establish the sequence of events and clarify what happened before the vehicle struck the victim.
Additional charges and custody details
Bryski was booked into the Ventura County Main Jail following his arrest. In addition to the murder charge, jail records indicate that he faces a charge of resisting an executive officer.
His bail was reported at $3 million, and his next court appearance was scheduled for October 22.
The case is now subject to the criminal court process, where prosecutors must establish the allegations through admissible evidence. An arrest and criminal charge are not the same as a conviction, and Bryski is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
No detailed public explanation of the alleged confrontation had been released in the initial reports, leaving important questions about the incident unresolved.
A Costco location that had not yet officially opened
The incident occurred at the Costco property at 437 West Ventura Boulevard in Camarillo, near its gas station.
The location had an unusual status at the time of the incident: the fuel station was already operating, while the main warehouse was still preparing for its scheduled grand opening on October 30, 2026.
That detail helps explain why the incident was reported at the gas station area rather than inside an operating warehouse.
However, the location’s opening schedule does not establish what caused the fatal encounter, and authorities have not publicly linked the store’s construction or opening preparations to the incident.
Investigation remains ongoing
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office has said detectives are continuing to investigate the death. The medical examiner’s findings and additional investigative evidence may help clarify the circumstances surrounding the incident.
For now, several key details remain unknown, including what happened immediately before the victim was struck and what evidence led authorities to file a murder charge.
As the investigation moves forward, the case will depend on the evidence gathered by detectives and the proceedings in court.
Authorities are encouraging anyone with information to come forward as they work to establish what happened that Tuesday evening in Camarillo.
