(NSFL) The videotaped suicide note of Daniel V. Jones (1998)

Hey everyone. I created an article on this thread's subject right here.

On April 30th, 1998, Daniel Victor Jones, a 40 year-old maintenance worker from Long Beach, California, drove to a Los Angeles freeway and committed suicide while being recorded by news helicopters. The graphic footage was shown to viewers at home, which included children whose cartoons were interrupted to broadcast the incident.

Jones was suffering from HIV and cancer and claimed to have been mistreated by health maintenance organizations (HMOs). His live suicide was meant as a protest against HMOs.

Shortly before his suicide, Jones threw a satchel over the freeway wall. The satchel contained a videotape, which was recovered by the authorities. The videotape was a suicide note Jones had recorded in the previous day. Details of the videotape were shared in the following newspapers:


Los Angeles Times

News & Record

New York Times

and others...

The authorities haven't made the tape public, and it's whereabouts are unknown.