A severely brain damaged man who was left unidentified for the last 16 years while on life support in a California hospital has finally been identified.

The man was dubbed Garage 66, after the auto-repair shop the van he was traveling in was taken after he was in a crash in June 1999.

He cannot speak and does not react to his environment, as little about his life has been unknown since the accident, the San Diego Tribune reported.

The Mexican Consulate in San Diego announced on Friday that through a collaborative effort with medics, immigration authorities, politicians and educators, they finally discovered his true identity.

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Garage 66 (above), a severely brain damaged man who was left unidentified for the last 16 years while on life support in a California hospital, has finally been identified.

To staff at Sharp Coronado Hospital in San Diego, the man has been known as Garage 66, after the auto-repair shop the van he was traveling in was taken after he was in a crash in June 1999. Unfortunately the man cannot speak and does not react to his environment

The Mexican Consulate in San Diego announced on Friday that through a collaborative effort with medics, immigration authorities, politicians and educators, they finally discovered his true identity

However, Sharp HealthCare said it could not disclose the patient's name, details of his condition due to confidentiality laws protecting his information, the Tribune reported.

According to the consulate, his family members won't speak with the media and are asking for privacy at this time.

'But his Sharp caregivers can now address him by name, and we are all celebrating the dignity afforded a person who has an identity and a history, as well as the peace of mind afforded a family who for many years has not known the condition or fate of their loved one,' spokesman Tom Hanscom told the Tribune.

Over the years, numerous families have come forward believing that the man was a long-lost relative, Hanscom added.

Now, a committee consisting of government and community officials administered biometric testing and DNA matches were confirmed in December, he told the Tribune.

In 2014, the hospital began to work with local media to make the patient's story public in an attempt to locate his family.

inewsource, an investigative journalism nonprofit based in San Diego, California, was the first to report on the plight of 66 Garage in 2014 and its stories prompted the search for his family.

However, Sharp HealthCare said it could not disclose the patient's name, details of his condition due to confidentiality laws protecting his information. Above the hospital is pictured

inewsource reported that the man was in a van when it crashed near the U.S.-Mexico border near El Centro and that he was ejected from the vehicle.

Believed to be in his mid-30s, he was transferred to UC San Diego trauma center in Hillcrest for treatment and spent year on year there.

At the center, he was assigned the name Garage 66, which was a common practice for patients who aren't alert and have no identification, according to inewsource.

His medical care is estimated to cost $700 per day and has been funded through Medi-Cal, the state's program for the disabled or impoverished, inewsource reported.