Blog

A California couple, Justina and Alex Lucero, narrowly escaped death after being robbed on Hawaii’s Haleakalā Volcano. The musician couple from Santa Cruz were visiting Maui for work when they took a trip to the national park. During their journey, they were robbed by a masked attacker who then “hunted” them with a drone and guns for nearly a day.

The couple was driving a silver Mustang rental car during their trip to Haleakalā, the only active volcano on the island of Maui.

Their ordeal began near the black sand beach at the end of the Road to Hana. A knocked-over “Road Closed” sign seemed harmless since locals had said the road was passable, reported the New York Post.

When a truck appeared behind them, they pulled over to let it pass, only to find it blocking their path moments later.

A masked man jumped out, pointed a gun at them, and demanded their valuables and car keys.

“He jumps out and comes right at us with the gun and stops us in the middle of the street,” Justina recalled.

The attacker ordered them to walk away after taking everything. As they did, he started their car and chased them, prompting the couple to run into the wild.

“He’s yelling for us to show ourselves. ‘Yeah, I’ll find you! I’ll find you!’ And at some point he counts down… and at the end of it, he shot the gun off,” Alex said, reported the New York Post.

With the sun setting, two more cars joined their pursuers, and flashlights and a drone scanned the area.

“This feeling of being hunted and not knowing the extent of, you know, what they would do,” Justina said.

Throughout the night, they continued to flee, drinking from a waterfall and enduring the cold.

At daybreak, they saw men on horseback with dogs but couldn’t be sure if they were friend or foe, so they kept moving.

Finally, they found a park ranger’s shelter, ending their harrowing escape.

Police identified the suspect as Christopher Helmer, a known menace involved in multiple incidents. He was arrested a week later on unrelated charges but was caught in the couple’s rented Mustang and linked to their robbery.

Maui prosecutor Andrew Martin said, “His victims have endured harrowing experiences, and we look forward to bringing him to justice.”

With Helmer in custody, Maui Police assured residents and visitors that he was no longer a threat to public safety, reported the New York Post.