A 39-year-old Hemet resident died early Tuesday, Jan. 2, when he was thrown from his Jeep Cherokee at the Johnson Valley Off Highway Vehicle recreation area in the High Desert, the California Highway Patrol reported.

The driver, identified by the San Bernardino County Coroner’s Office as Nathan Alan Comstock, was working his vehicle down a steep hill about 2:45 a.m. when he lost control. Comstock was not wearing his seat belt, and he was ejected when the Jeep rolled, the CHP said.

Firefighters pronounced Comstock dead at 4:52 a.m. No one else was in the Jeep, the CHP said.