A good samaritan quickly turned into a victim Wednesday on
Highway 25 between Hollister and Gilroy when the man he was trying
to help stole his truck.
A good samaritan quickly turned into a victim Wednesday on Highway 25 between Hollister and Gilroy when the man he was trying to help stole his truck.
Morgan Hill resident Mark Smith was driving his pickup at about noon Wednesday on Highway 25 near the San Benito-Santa Clara county line when he saw a Toyota Camry wagon veer across two lanes of traffic, lose balance and roll at least three times before coming to rest on its top at the bottom of an embankment.
Smith pulled to the side of the road and rushed to help the Camry’s passengers, but while Smith was checking for injured passengers the Camry’s driver – and only occupant – scrambled up the embankment and drove off in Smith’s 1998 Ford F-150.
“Supposedly the driver (of the Camry) got out of his vehicle visibly upset, mumbling and cursing to himself, and grabbed a black duffle bag from the trunk,” said David Singer, a California Highway Patrol officer. “Then he jumped in (Smith’s) truck and took off. … You don’t see that very often.”
Police were able to recover Smith’s truck late Wednesday night in Contra Costa County, according to the CHP. The truck was abandoned and did not appear to be damaged.
The unidentified suspect has not been located.
“We’re still checking to see if the (Camry) was stolen,” said Terry Mayes, spokeswoman for the CHP. “That would explain a lot.”
According to the CHP, the suspect who stole Smith’s car is a thin Hispanic or Filipino male in his 20s or 30s with a bald head and thin black mustache. He’s described as 5 feet, 6 inches tall, 170 pounds.
Prior to the accident, the suspect was reportedly passing traffic while driving 70 mph on the right shoulder of northbound Highway 25 just north of Shore Road.
When a car driving ahead of the Camry wagon lost a muffler, other cars in front of the Camry swerved to the shoulder, causing the suspect to lose control of the vehicle, cross the lanes of traffic and roll the car.
“We’re hoping that the suspect left something in the (Camry) or the truck that can lead us to him,” Mayes said. “The good news is that the victim has his truck back.”
