Philanthropist Is Killed in 2-Car Collision in Newport

A philanthropist was fatally injured Sunday afternoon when the car he was in collided with a another in Newport Beach, police said.

Two others were injured, though apparently not critically.

Sydney J. Rosenberg, 84, of Newport Beach and Beverly Hills, was rushed to Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach, where he was pronounced dead, Newport Beach Police traffic investigator Howard Eisenberg said in a prepared statement.

According to the statement, the crash occurred about 1:20 p.m. on San Joaquin Hills Road near the entrance of the affluent neighborhood.

A Jeep Cherokee driven by Colleen Woodbury, 34, of Mission Viejo was traveling west on San Joaquin Hills Road and a Mercedes-Benz driven by Jaclyn Rosenberg, 70, was traveling east. The collision occurred as the Mercedes turned left onto Big Canyon Drive at the development’s east gate, police said.

Jaclyn Rosenberg suffered injuries that were not immediately diagnosed, and she was admitted to Hoag Hospital for observation. Her back-seat passenger, Lin Au, 53, of Costa Mesa, suffered upper-body cuts and bruises and was admitted to Western Medical Center-Santa Ana.

The driver of the Jeep was not injured. Police said it appeared that all passengers and drivers were wearing seat belts and that neither alcohol nor drugs factored into the accident.

The Rosenbergs are frequently mentioned as donors to a variety of Southern California charities or causes, including Childhelp USA.