A Californian couple visiting Hawaii have revealed details from a horrifying attack they underwent when a masked gunman carjacked them and “hunted” them up a volcano.
Alex and Justina Lucero traveled to the island of Maui for a work trip and decided to explore Haleakalā, a large active volcano, on June 4 when they were forced to run and hide for their lives, KHON2 reported.
Views from the summit area of Haleakalā volcano on Maui in Haleakala National Park, Hawaii, are photographed on June 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew Selsky)
The Luceros recounted how they were driving a rented silver Ford Mustang on the Kaupō of Haleakalā when they spotted a road closure sign on the side of the street.
“We were told earlier that day by some local, ‘Yeah, you can go all the way through. It used to be closed, but it’s not anymore.’ So we weren’t suspicious of anything like that,” Justina, 29, told the Honolulu outlet.
“And we were told that, you know, the locals there will use the same road, and if they come up behind you, just pull off to the side and let them pass, because they’re going to be not looking at the same scenery the way that you will.”
So, the Luceros continued on their way. It was not long before they noticed a truck pulling up behind them, so they moved over to wave it past.
As the couple looked behind them after pulling around a blind curve, they realized the truck was barreling towards them.
In just a moment, the aggressive driver had cut them off and exited his vehicle.
“[The driver] jumps out and comes right at us with the gun and stops us in the middle of the street,” Justina recalled.
The man, who was wearing a mask and a hooded sweatshirt, then ordered the terrified tourists to leave all of their valuables and keys in the car and “start walking that way now,” Alex, 31, said.
As they did as they were told, the Luceros realized the carjacker was not going to let them go as they heard the car start behind them.
“Now, he’s coming towards us. So we very, very quickly went from a fast walk to a sprint up this gulch,” Alex said.
The Luceros decided to take their chances and run up the volcano to find a hiding spot while they heard the armed man yell threats.
“He’s yelling for us to show ourselves. ‘Yeah, I’ll find you. I’ll find you.’ And he, at some point, he counts down from, I don’t know if it was 10 or I heard him at five. And at the end of it, he shot the gun off,” said Alex.
Justina recalled that at that point, “We knew it was loaded. We knew he meant business.”
From their hiding spot on higher ground, the couple witnessed another driver — in a white van labeled as a taxi — meet up with the gunman.
“They rendezvoused. They came up with some type of, they had some type of interaction, this vehicle and our rental car, and we knew at that point that this guy was in on finding us,” Alex told KHON2.
After that, the couple noticed a third vehicle pacing the area, with the driver even getting out with flashlights and a drone.
According to Justina, they were completely overwhelmed with the “feeling of being hunted and not knowing the extent of, you know, what they would do, what they wanted and who he had at his fingertips to help.”
Unable to escape or call for help, the Luceros were forced to camp out on the volcano overnight. They had to drink from a small waterfall to remain hydrated.
By the next morning, they were still unsure if they could trust anyone they saw to help, as they said they spotted two men on horseback that may have also been colluding with the carjacker.
Nearly 24 hours later, the distressed pair found a park ranger after tourist helicopters flew overhead without seeming to notice them.
“At this point, [the park ranger] had a suspect in mind who fits the profile, who fits the heinous act, because he is such a menace, that’s what he said,” Alex said.
The Maui Police Department arrested Christopher Helmer four days later — in connection to a separate kidnapping and terroristic threat he allegedly partook in back in May.
“At the time of his arrest, Helmer was operating the stolen Mustang and had a loaded firearm. Following his arrest, further investigation resulted in the recovery of additional evidence linking him to the robbery and the recovery of the Tacoma, which was found to be a stolen vehicle,” Maui Police said, according to Hawaii News Now.
A grand jury indicted Helmer on June 21 for charges including, first degree robbery, firearm and drug offenses, along with driving a stolen vehicle. His bail has been set at $500,000 and he remains in police custody.
“We almost didn’t make it home, and our lives are forever changed now after what has happened,” Justina told KHON2. “And we’re lucky to have gotten through it together, but this could have gone so many other ways.”