Couple climbs Hawaii volcano to survive being 'hunted' by carjacker: 'He meant business'
HONOLULU (KHON) – Two visitors to Maui who were carjacked and robbed at gunpoint say they were forced to run, hide and hike for their lives to the top of Haleakalā National Park this month.
Itʻs an ordeal authorities did not reveal publicly until Nexstar's KHON started asking questions. Now, the victims are speaking out to warn others about similar dangers.
California residents Alex and Justina Lucero were visiting Maui in early June, having traveled to the island for music gigs. On their free day, June 4, the two decided to explore the popular tourist spots in Paia and Hana. They went to the parks, visited a couple of trails on the bamboo forest and walked to a few waterfalls.
"Everybody was wonderful. All the locals and all the tourists that we ran into were great."
A few people suggested they check out a black sand beach toward the end of the Road to Hana, a scenic 64-mile route along the coast of the island. On the way, their GPS took them through Kaupō, where they noticed a sign indicating a closed road, though it was pushed off to the side.
"And 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 said. "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."
When a truck pulled out of a driveway just after they passed, they pulled off the road and Alex waved the truck on. But minutes later, as they got around a blind curve, the truck was coming back toward them, stopping in a spot that was only big enough for one vehicle.
"[The driver] jumps out and comes right at us with the gun and stops us in the middle of the street," Justina said.
Alex said he was wearing a mask, a hood and a sweatshirt.
"Leave all valuables, leave the keys … empty your pockets, leave everything in the car, and start walking that way now," Alex said they were told.
They did what he told them to do, leaving their phones behind as they began to walk toward Hana on foot.
Then they heard a 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 couple said they had a choice to make: Stay on the road where they were being chased, head down toward the water, or head up the hill — the hill being the Haleakalā volcano.
They hopped a guardrail and hid behind boulders in the nick of time.
"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," Alex said.
"At that point, we knew it was loaded. We knew he meant business," said Justina.
When they thought it couldnʻt get any worse, their pursuer was joined by a white multi-passenger van with a taxi sign.
"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 said.
They continued darting up the mountain, both in swimming suits, her in slippers, and nobody to help.
During a break, they noticed there was a third vehicle pacing the stretch of road, getting out with flashlights and even putting a drone in the sky, complete with a searchlight, Justina said.
She said they were overwhelmed with "this 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."
Throughout the night, they climbed higher and higher as the air grew colder. They drank from a small waterfall.
Then, at daybreak, they saw tour helicopters, but the helicopters did not see them. Two men on horseback were also riding along with dogs, but unsure of whether they were helpers or hunters, they continued on without initiating contact.
Once over a ridgeline, they saw a big white structure and three people. They waved for help, and a park ranger responded.
Their ordeal was finally at an end -- more than 24 hours after it began.
Law enforcement pondered who their tormentor could be.
"At this point, he had a suspect in mind who fits the profile, who fits the the heinous act, because he is such a menace," Alex said. "That's what he said."
The following week, officers with the Maui Police Department arrested Christopher Helmer on warrants for a separate kidnapping and terroristic threat from May.
The Luceros were told that Helmer was caught in their rental car, a silver Mustang, and that he and others had tried to use their credit cards all over Maui.
Helmer was indicted on Friday for robbery, firearms, car theft and drug charges in connection with the Lucerosʻ carjacking.
In a statement obtained by KHON, Maui prosecutor Andrew Martin thanked the police and the deputy prosecuting attorneys for their "tremendous efforts" to identify and apprehend Helmer.
"His victims have endured harrowing experiences and we look forward to bringing him to justice," Martin said.
Police are also hoping the capture of the suspect, whom they said "was implicated in multiple incidents across the island," puts the public at ease.
"With Helmer in custody, we want to reassure our residents and visitors that they can take comfort in knowing that this individual is no longer a threat to public safety," the MPD said in a statement.
Helmer remained in custody as of Thursday.
The Luceros, meanwhile, said local Maui residents have urged them to share their story so other visitors can stay cautious.
"We almost didn't make it home, and our lives are forever changed now after what has happened," Justina said. "And we're lucky to have gotten through it together, but this could have gone so many other ways."