A carjacker from Santa Clarita stole a car Monday afternoon with a 2-year-old boy inside and left the child on the side of the road before causing a five-vehicle crash on the 210 freeway that killed one man, officials said.
Sponsored Articles
The suspect, Nicole Thibault, 28, was injured in addition to three other people in the five-vehicle crash on the eastbound 210 freeway near Claremont.
A 69-year-old Fontana man, who has not been identified, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The incident was reported to San Bernardino police about 3:25 p.m. when the suspect stole the vehicle from a father whose son was strapped in a car seat inside the car, said CHP officials.
About a mile from where the car was stolen, the woman pulled over, carried the boy out of the car and left him on a sidewalk near Temple and H streets, according to authorities.
The child was found safe, said officials.
The woman then entered the 210 Freeway going the wrong direction, traveling west in the eastbound carpool lane. The fatal crash occurred on the freeway just before Mills Avenue.
At approximately 3:45 p.m., CHP dispatchers received numerous calls of a wrong-way driver traveling westbound on the eastbound lanes of SR-210, within the center median shoulder.
Responding CHP Units attempted to get into position; however, a pursuit was never initiated, said officials.
“As the Ford F-150 continued traveling wrong-way within the center median of SR-210, for unknown reasons it veered into oncoming traffic and collided with 4 vehicles,” according to CHP officials. “It is unclear where the Ford F-150 entered the freeway and why the suspect was driving wrong-way,”
At this time, no criminal charges or arrest have been made due to the suspect being hospitalized and pending further investigation.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact Officer J. Bach at the California Highway Patrol, Baldwin Park Area, at 626-338-1164.
As Santa Clarita’s only local radio station, KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and sign up for KHTS email and text alerts today!
Lazy reporters. Don’t just reprint press releases. Check her criminal record. The Santa Clarita Valley Signal did.