Authorities investigate death near VMC hospital

SAN JOSE — The death of a man found on the grounds of Valley Medical Center on Christmas morning is being investigated by detectives but how he died was not immediately clear, the Santa Clara County sheriff’s office said Tuesday.

Deputies were called to the hospital property at 751 S. Bascom Avenue around 9:30 a.m. Sunday for a report of “an unresponsive male lying on the ground outside” of the hospital facility, according to a sheriff’s office news release.

The man was pronounced dead where authorities found him, and the county Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office is conducting a death investigation. His name has not been publicly released.

While the cause of death has not been disclosed, the sheriff’s office did note that he “was unconscious and appeared to have sustained an injury.” Details on the injury have not been released, pending an autopsy.

The sheriff’s office emphasized that “there is no threat to public safety at this time.”

Anyone with information about the death can contact the sheriff’s office at 408-808-4500 or leave an anonymous tip at 408-808-4431.