Correction: We initially had the incorrect last name for the suspect as Alvarez – it has been corrected to Aldaz. We regret the error.
A nude man next to a burning car is alleged to have attempted to steal the car of a good Samaritan before disappearing into the wilderness.
The California Highway Patrol received a report Tuesday (October 4) of the attempted carjacking on Highway 62, seven miles east of Ironage Road, near the Sheephole Valley Wilderness.
The report indicates that the suspect, identified as 28 year-old Francisco Aldaz, was naked and standing next to a vehicle that was on fire. A good samaritan driving a Chevrolet Equinox with a 15 year-old passenger passed by the scene, got out of his car, and asked Aldaz if he needed assistance. The Sherriff’s report says that Aldaz immediately climbed into the Chevrolet Equinox and attempted to drive away, with the 15 year-old still in the passenger seat.
The good samaritan was able to remove Aldaz from the Chevy Equinox, and Aldaz fled into the desert.
Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the scene, and tracked Aldaz’s footprints for several miles through the desert, before they found him climbing down a mountain. Francisco Aldaz was transported to a local hospital for the treatment of minor injuries sustained in the initial accident that led to his vehicle catching fire.
The good samaritan and the passenger did not wish to be victims of a crime and did not seek to press charges against Aldaz, but the Sheriff’s report is being passed on to the County District Attorney’s Office for review and consideration of further charges.
