By Karen Pearlman
May 6, 2026 (El Cajon) — Family and friends are grieving the loss of Jonathan Tyson Nevels, who died in a tragic accident on an East County freeway the morning of Saturday, May 2.
Nevels, 28, was a 2015 alumnus of Grossmont High and later attended Sonoma State University. Nevels was pursuing a graduate degree in clinical psychology at Grand Canyon University, where he held a 4.0 grade-point average.
He was killed early Saturday morning following a multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 8.
According to family members and preliminary reports, Nevels was driving home from a late-night study session near San Diego State University around 1:30 a.m. when he struck an EDCO trash truck that had broken down in the middle of the freeway.
The truck reportedly lacked the required safety reflectors, flares, or cones, and its lights were off at the time of the impact. A second vehicle then struck Nevels’ car.
“He was on his way home from studying — he liked studying at SDSU or sometimes at a coffee shop,” said his mother, Janine Lawrence.
Learning and growing
Born June 27, 1997, Jonathan grew up in a household where resilience was a necessity. He was only 15, and his brother Jahmal just 10, when they lost their father, Jonathan Nevels Sr.
The loss of his father became a catalyst for Jonathan’s life’s work. He had also recently begun exploring coding, adding technical skills to his academic goals.
His LinkedIn page shows a link to a website for the company he founded called Nocturne.
Also on LinkedIn, he wrote that he was a Behavioral Health Specialist “driven by the intersection of mental wellness and intelligent systems.”
He wrote that he dedicated his career to trauma-informed care through hands-on roles at Aurora Behavioral Health and the San Diego Center for Children.
He said his goal was “transforming how we navigate community healing and business operations.”
‘Champion for the homeless’
But it was his work outside the classroom that defined him. From his teenage years at Grossmont, Jonathan was a “champion for the homeless,” said his stepfather, George Morgan.
Helping those experiencing homelessness was a passion that followed Jonathan throughout his life.
“Since high school, his compassion for homeless people just grew,” Lawrence said. “He would collect jackets, blankets and chairs with friends, and give them to people, and he did it until the day he died. When he went to college in Sonoma, he would drive to San Francisco to help people there.
“He liked to talk to them, too; he liked to hear their stories. That’s what he would spend money on — buying them coffee and listening.”
Jonathan Tyson Nevels (right) when he played football for Grossmont High. Photo courtesy George Morgan
Morgan recalled the depth of that empathy.
“He championed the homeless. We’d have to tell him, ‘You have to stop, there’s a limit to it,’ because he would give so much,” Morgan said. “But he had the hugest heart. He was kind, nice, soft-spoken… he would help everybody and anybody.”
Beyond his advocacy, Jonathan was known for his love of the San Diego outdoors and a home filled with animals, which most recently included two dogs, two cats.
“His second passion was friendship,” Janine said. “He was the loyal friend, the one they leaned on. He had so many friends; in all the pictures I have of him, everyone is smiling.”
Morgan said Jonathan was just starting to realize his potential.
“He had all these ambitions,” George said. “He called me every morning. I know the one thing he always wanted was for his mom to be taken care of.”
Jonathan leaves behind his mother, Janine Lawrence; his stepfather, George Morgan; his 24-year-old brother, Jahmal Nevels; and his animal companions. He was preceded in death by his father, Jonathan Nevels.
Morgan said without a life insurance plan, the family is struggling to pay for funeral costs. A GoFundMe page to help the family can be accessed here.
The community is invited to a Celebration of Life and Funeral on Saturday, May 23 at Glen Abbey. Viewing will be from 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m., with the funeral service from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.
Friends of Jonathan will also hold a private memorial at the beach May 7 to honor him.id not have insurance at the time of the accident, leaving the family with unexpected costs.