A 20-year-old Ocean View man was killed last night when the car in which he was riding apparently ran a red light and collided with a tow truck at the intersection of Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway and Nani Kailua Drive, police said.

Richard M. Green was a front-seat passenger in a 2003 Honda four-door sedan traveling east on Nani Kailua. The vehicle collided with a 2006 Nissan flatbed tow truck driven by a 32-year-old Kailua, Kona man.

Kona police officers responded to the accident just after 8:30 p.m. Both drivers and a rear-seat passenger in the Honda were taken to Kona Community Hospital in satisfactory condition and were admitted for observation.

Green was also transported to Kona Community Hospital and was pronounced dead at 11:28 p.m.

Police said alcohol may have been a factor in the crash. A negligent homicide investigation has been opened and an autopsy is pending.

This was the first Big Island traffic fatality this year, compared with one at this time last year.