LIVERMORE — A two-car crash on Friday afternoon killed the 59-year-old owner of a well-known Livermore winery, according to police and family members.
Mitchell Katz, the owner of Mitchell Katz Winery, was driving a white GMC SUV that Livermore police said was hit by the driver of a black Subaru. He died at a hospital.
The Alameda County Coroner’s Office released Katz’s identity publicly on Monday.
“We have suffered a tragic loss,” Mitchell Katz’s sons, Jackson and Wes, wrote on the winery’s social media page Sunday. “At this time, we don’t have any additional information to offer. As expected, we his family and extended family are all devastated and saddened by this tragedy.”
The crash happened about 3:20 p.m. at East Avenue at Mitra Street, according to a statement from Livermore police. Katz was changing lanes on East Avenue when the Subaru hit the GMC, police said.
The driver of the Subaru stayed at the scene and spoke with police, they said. Police were awaiting toxicology results to determine if alcohol or drugs were factors in the crash.
Mitchell Katz Winery, located in the 2900 block of S. Vasco Road closed its doors Saturday and Sunday after the tragedy. The facility was slated to open at noon Monday.
Jackson and Wes Katz wrote that they would continue to update the public through their Facebook page.