A California couple who were held at gunpoint during a carjacking while vacationing in Hawaii have revealed chilling new details about the attack.
Alex and Justina Lucero were in Maui for a business trip and decided to use their day off, June 4, to explore the island.
They were traveling through Paia and Hana when the situation deteriorated and a masked gunman seized their rental car.
The carjacker chased the couple into Haleakalā, shot them and forced them to spend the night there.
“We almost didn’t make it and our lives have changed forever after what happened,” Justina said KHON2.
Alex (left) and Justina (right) Lucero were exploring Maui when a masked gunman seized their rental car and chased them onto Haleakalā
The Luceros drove in a silver Ford Mustang rental car to the Kaupō side of Haleakalā, on the advice of a local resident.
“And we’re lucky that we got through it together, but this could have ended differently.”
The Luceros were driving a silver Ford Mustang rental car on the Kaupō side of Haleakalā when they saw a sign saying the road was closed and had been pulled over.
“We were told earlier that day by a local, ‘Yes, you can go all the way through. It used to be closed, but it’s not anymore.’ So we weren’t suspicious about something like that,” Justina said.
“And we were told that the locals there use the same road. If they come from behind, you just have to stand aside and let them pass. They will look at the same landscape differently than you do.”
Shortly after they passed the ‘road closed’ sign, they saw a truck behind them. Alex stopped to let the other vehicle pass.
As they rounded a blind bend, the truck came towards them and blocked the road, preventing them from passing.
‘[The driver] “jumps out of the car, comes at us with the gun and stops us in the middle of the street,” Justina said.
The couple was in Maui for a business trip and decided to use their day off, June 4, to explore the island
Alex waved for another vehicle to pass them, but as they rounded a blind bend, the truck barreled toward them, blocking the road
Alex told the local news station that their attacker was wearing a mask, a hoodie and a sweater.
‘[He ordered us to] “Leave all valuables behind, leave the keys behind… empty your pockets, leave everything in the car and start walking that way now,” Alex said.
The couple obeyed and began walking toward Hana when they heard the car start.
“Now he’s coming towards us. So we went from a fast walk to a sprint through this canyon very, very quickly,” Alex said.
The Luceros decided in a split second to run up the volcano and find a place to hide while the shooter chased them.
“He’s yelling at us to show up. ‘Yeah, I’ll find you. I’ll find you.’ And he, at one point, he counts down from, I don’t know if it was 10 or I heard him at 5. And at the end of it, he shoots the gun,” Alex said.
A masked gunman hijacked their car and then chased them up the volcano while shooting at them
As night fell, the couple hiked higher into the mountainous region, where temperatures are at least 20 degrees colder than at sea level
“At that point we knew it was loaded. We knew he meant it,” Justina said.
As the couple searched for safety, they saw a white van with multiple seats and a taxi sign on it, joining their hunting dog.
“They had a rendezvous. They came in with some sort of, they had some sort of interaction, this vehicle and our rental car, and we knew at that point that this guy was going to find us,” Alex said.
Justina said they were overwhelmed by ‘the feeling of being rushed and not knowing what to do, what they wanted and who was on hand to help.’
As evening fell, the couple hiked higher into the mountainous region, where temperatures are at least 20 degrees cooler than sea level and often drop below freezing.
By daybreak, the Luceros no longer knew who to trust as they went out in search of help.
Tour helicopters flew by without noticing them and they feared that the two men they saw on horses would help their attacker.
Eventually they were able to apprehend a park ranger and their nightmare came to an end.
Maui police have arrested Christopher Helmer (pictured) in connection with the attack on Luceros
“At that point he had a suspect in mind who fit the profile, who fit the horrific act, because he poses such a danger, that’s what he said,” Alex said.
Four days later, Maui police arrested Christopher Helmer on a warrant for a separate kidnapping and terroristic threat against May, the agency reported. HawaiiNewsNow.
“At the time of his arrest, Helmer was driving the stolen Mustang and had a loaded firearm. Following his arrest, further investigation resulted in the discovery of additional evidence linking him to the robbery and the recovery of the Tacoma, which was determined to be a stolen vehicle,” Maui police said.
A grand jury indicted Helmer on June 21 on charges including first-degree robbery, firearm and drug offenses, and driving a stolen vehicle. His bail was set at $500,000, and he remains in police custody.