A Denair man out for a motorcycle ride with friends Friday night lost his life when he was unable to avoid a car stopped in front of him.

The victim was identified as 19-year-old Maurice Moniz, Jr., by the Stanislaus County Coroner’s Office.

Moniz was out riding his Harley Davidson with a group of friends Friday night. Around 10:30 p.m. Moniz and his friends were in the area of W. Main Street and Tegner Road.

A tanker truck was making a turn, causing the traffic behind it to come to a stop. Some of the riders were able to veer off the side of the road, but Moniz, who was traveling at an estimated 70 mph, toward the back of the group, was not able to avoid the collision, said Turlock Police Sgt. Stephen Webb.

According to the accident investigation team, the wheels on Moniz’s motorcycle started to skid and he attempted to lay the bike down on the ground, as he had been taught.

As the Harley went down, Moniz was separated from the bike and collided with the back of a car stopped for the traffic, Webb said. The motorcycle skidded for several hundreds of feet, Webb said.

Moniz was wearing a helmet, but sustained fatal internal injuries, according to the police department.

The investigation into the collision is ongoing and the police are asking anyone with information or who witnessed the collision to call Officer Mike Simbalenko at 668-5550 ext. 6723.