Crime & Safety

Man Killed in SF Motorcycle Crash a Googler

The San Bruno and Cupertino man traveled south early Saturday on Highway 101 in toward Interstate 80 when he struck the center divide and was thrown from his motorcycle.

A 27-year-old man who was on Saturday has been identified as Michael Butler, of San Bruno, according to the San Francisco medical examiner's office.

The man worked for Google's YouTube division, according to his obituary.

The California Highway Patrol first received a report that a motorcyclist hit the center divide of Highway 101 at 1:10 a.m. on April 21, CHP officials said.

Find out what's happening in Mountain Viewwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Traffic proceeded slowly past the collision before the CHP shut down the on-ramps at Van Ness Avenue and at Octavia Boulevard for about 90 minutes during the investigation.

The investigation indicated that Butler struck a catwalk on the east side of the freeway and was thrown from the motorcycle. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, he was riding a 2008 Suzuki sport bike at an unknown speed.

Find out what's happening in Mountain Viewwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Born in Austin TX, Butler grew up in Cupertino. He graduated from San Jose State and from Monta Vista High in 2003. He's survived by his mother Francesca, father Timothy and sister Terry.

His memorial service takes place Wednesday, April 25 at 6 p.m. at the Oak Hill Funeral Home at 300 Curtner Ave., San Jose, CA 95125

—Additional reporting by Bay City News


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.