Photo : Instagram

Authorities are currently searching for automotive journalist Davey G. Johnson, a veteran of Car and Driver, Autoweek, Jalopnik and more, after he apparently went missing on a motorcycle ride somewhere along California State Route 49 earlier this week.


The Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office confirmed it does have a missing person case in progress. Anyone with information is asked to call the department at (209) 754-6500.

According to social media posts from Davey’s friends, he was last heard from around 2 a.m. Wednesday. He was riding a black Honda CB1000R press loaner motorcycle with manufacturer license plate 3421 somewhere along Route 49.


He was headed toward his home in Sacramento from the Mammoth area. The last ping from his cell phone was in Amador County around 8 a.m. Wednesday morning.

Additionally, a little after midnight today police located the motorcycle at a rest area off Route 49, but not Davey, his backpack or his computer. A search is ongoing today.

Davey wrote for Jalopnik in its most formative years, between 2005 and 2007, and is one of the key people who helped establish this website’s voice. He has gone on to have bylines at some of the biggest car and motorcycle publications in the country, and is a trusted, respected friend to many of our staffers and other members of the close-knit automotive journalist community. All of us are hoping for his safe return.

If you have information, please contact the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office immediately.



Update 5:25 p.m.: There has been one update, and it’s not great:


We’ll update if we hear any more news.