Justin Randle, a Tenderloin community service worker and father of three, was killed in a hit-and-run over the weekend in the same neighborhood where he worked for more than a year as a safety monitor.
Randle, 25, was described by his great-aunt Suzanne Lopez as a “sweetheart of a young man” and an ever-present father to his sons.
“He was a great dad,” Lopez said on a phone call with Mission Local from Flagstaff, Arizona. “Justin’s dad passed away in 2011 and so he knew what it was growing up without a dad.”
Randle was struck by a car around 1:06 a.m. Sunday by an adult woman who fled the scene before officers arrived, the San Francisco Police Department said in a statement shared with Mission Local. SFPD investigators later that night traced the car to Treasure Island, where California Highway Patrol officers had stopped the vehicle on an unrelated traffic violation.
The driver, whose name has not been released by police, was booked on murder charges but she has since been released after the San Francisco District Attorney’s office declined to file charges. In a statement shared with Mission Local, the office said there was “insufficient evidence” to file criminal charges because it was evaluating whether lawyers could prove a criminal case beyond a reasonable doubt, which includes the possibility of self defense.
Randle worked as a safety monitor at Glide, where he greeted visitors to the church and conducted outreach to people in the neighborhood. The organization is in the Tenderloin and focuses on faith-centered community outreach.
In a YouTube video posted in May 2025, Randle spoke about his work and noted he had saved the lives of seven people by reversing overdoses using Narcan.
“We de-escalate a problem when there are a lot of issues. We build relationships with a lot of the clients,” Randle said in the video. “We just help the community.”
Glide leaders were the first to publicly confirm Randle’s death.
Glide’s Rev. Dr. Gina Fromer called Randle a “beloved member of the Glide community,” in a statement provided to Mission Local.
“We are deeply saddened by his sudden passing,” Fromer said. “He embodied our values of radical inclusion and unconditional love in everything he did at GLIDE. Our thoughts and prayers are with Justin’s family during this difficult time.”
His family has set up a Go Fund Me with the goal of raising $30,000 for his three kids, who have been placed in guardianship with other families.
“Justin made a huge impact on this world, and his compassion reached so many people,” William Randle, Justin’s brother, wrote on the Go Fund Me page.
Lopez, the great-aunt, said she is holding on to the memory of one of the last conversations she had with her nephew. When Randle called Lopez, he told her he “needed an auntie hug” and asked when she was next coming to visit, she remembered.
Lopez recalled Randle’s excitement over his job at the Glide Foundation.
“He used to boast and brag about how much he loved working there and helping people and getting his life on track,” she said. “Unfortunately, something tragic got in the way.”
