Man's Body Found Near Moraga and Pleasant Valley

Updated Wednesday, Oct. 9, 11 p.m.

A man's body was found in a vehicle near the corner of Moraga and Pleasant Valley avenues in Oakland about 3 p.m. Wednesday, according to Oakland police.

Lt. Chris Bolton said Oakland Police Department officers responded to reports of an unresponsive man in a vehicle, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

"The cause of death was unclear to officers, who then treated the vehicle and surrounding area as a crime scene," Bolton said in an email Wednesday night.

The man's identity has not been released, pending notification of next of kin, he said.

Bolton said the investigation will remain open until until a cause of death or surrounding circumstances are determined.

Bolton tweeted at about 5 p.m., "Undetermined cause of death, but no threat to public safety."

Also Wednesday evening an Oakland Police Department spokesperson said that the death appeared to be from natural causes, but homicide detectives were called to the scene "just in case."

The body appeared to be that of a man in his 40s, she said.

The discovery shut down traffic and brought helicopters overhead. Police closed a portion of Pleasant Valley Avenue and nearby streets while they investigated. Moraga and Pleasant Valley avenues were reopened to traffic by 6 p.m.

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