Chapman community mourns death of film student killed in sand dune vehicle accident

PUBLISHED April 19, 6:21 p.m. PT / UPDATED April 22 11:10 a.m. PT

Peng Wang, a third-year Chapman graduate student studying film production, was killed last Friday when an off-road vehicle overturned while maneuvering over a sand dune in Imperial Valley. Photo courtesy of Matt Mazur

Trigger warning: motor vehicle fatality

As a graduate student in Chapman University’s film production M.F.A. program, 29-year-old Peng Wang would frequently work on independent film projects — some of which even went on to win awards at events like the Los Angeles Film Awards and Chicago International Children's Film Festival. 

But on a trip to Imperial Valley last Friday to assist on a film set, Wang was killed in an off-road vehicle accident. Wang was riding with three other young filmmakers from the University of Southern California (USC) in a 2022 Can-Am Maverick when the vehicle crashed into a sand dune and overturned.

Wang was partially ejected from the car when it flipped over, resulting in his death, while the other three passengers survived the accident. 

The deceased student was the only occupant not wearing his safety harness in the vehicle, according to reports from California Highway Patrol (CHP). Because the project was pursued independently by the students, university-required safety protocols were not enforced. 

“The school has very strict safety policies that all students are trained in and expected to follow at all times,” USC officials remarked in an April 18 statement following the accident. “The school does not tolerate violations of safety protocols. We are still gathering information about how this tragic accident occurred.”

The third-year Chapman graduate student was operating as a cinematographer on a collaborative production with the USC students as well as student filmmakers from Loyola Marymount University and the New York Film Academy.

Hailing from China, Wang established a name for himself in Chapman’s cinematography community — where he is more commonly known as “Aaron” — and developed a reputation beyond the campus’ borders among filmmakers at other universities.

At Chapman, Wang had already finished his coursework and graduate thesis — titled “Stray” — meaning he was on track to graduate this spring, according to Stephen Galloway, dean of Dodge College of Film and Media Arts.

“It’s hard to express how shattering this is — to me, to the faculty and staff, to his girlfriend, to another Chapman student who was on location with him, and above all, to his parents in China,” Galloway wrote in an email announcement to Dodge students Tuesday. “(Wang’s parents have) now been informed of his death, and we’ll be working with the Chinese Consulate (in Los Angeles) to arrange a visa so that they can come to the U.S.”

The cause of the crash is still under investigation. A CHP spokesman told the LA Times the students were taking pictures on a large sand dune before the accident occurred, though it is not yet clear if the outing was related to the ongoing production.

Galloway’s announcement email emphasized that Wang was well-known and well-loved in the Dodge community. Cinematography professor Bill Dill remembers Wang as an ideal student with tremendous passion and potential as an artist.

“Peng was, honestly, everything one would want in a student,” Dill wrote in a statement sent to The Panther. “He was smart, talented, diligent, kind (and) possessed an enormous will to do quality work. He was a young man whose loss is incalculable … This loss has been unusually devastating for his classmates because he was such a gentle soul while bringing a relentless, dogged intensity to the preparation for his work.”

Johnny Jensen, one of Wang’s cinematography professors who has taught him since 2018, described him as a life-long learner who always yearned to grow in his field.

“(Wang) was very interested in philosophy in order to use it in his filmmaking and very likely might have made a fine director once he'd felt secure in his knowledge and practice of cinematography,” Jensen wrote in a statement sent to The Panther. “(He was) a quiet young man — to the point that you may have found him shy — but in fact he was a deep thinker always in pursuit of knowledge. When alone and face-to-face he had an abundance of questions relating to all facets of filmmaking.”

Galloway wrote that Chapman ultimately plans to hold a memorial service when Wang’s parents arrive in California, though details surrounding the event have yet to be announced.

“With his compassionate spirit, (Wang) understood that making films is about exploring the human soul,” cinematography professor Jurg Walther said in a statement sent to The Panther. “He knew how to look behind the surface, to find that essence, unbiased, with kindness, deep understanding and great patience. Peng had a way of ‘being there’ with strong focus and determination, as in being present to the people around him and being present to (the) world.”

There is an ongoing investigation regarding the USC film school safety protocols and whether or not the students leading the excursion followed the measures. The university holds strong safety guidelines when filming projects — including independent works — meaning this event in Imperial Valley would have needed extensive approval from the USC officials before beginning the filming process. At this time, it is unclear if the two USC students violated any protocol.

The Chapman Graduate Student Council has started a Peng Wang Memorial Fund in order to help fund Peng’s parents travel to California from China. Wang’s father sent a letter to the Chapman community explaining his family’s difficult financial situation and asking for any assistance to help him and his wife complete a proper burial.

“Our only wish is to go to the United States and see our son one last time so we can offer our final goodbyes,” Hualun Wang wrote in the letter. “However, with the ongoing pandemic, traveling would stretch our financial constraints even further. To an unfeasible degree … I apologize that I have to appeal to strangers to ask for aid, but please know I would not do this if it weren’t of the upmost important for me and the rest of Peng’s family. Please help us find some closure during these dark days.”

The memorial fund is operating on Venmo and a QR code link can be found on the Dodge Instagram.

This is a developing story. Follow The Panther on social media and at www.the panther newspaper.org for updates.