Man charged with stealing Yosemite Park employee vehicle, which he drove off a cliff during chase
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A federal grand jury has indicted a Rancho Cucamonga man with theft, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and fleeing police after he allegedly stole a Yosemite National Park employee’s vehicle, then drove it off a cliff during a high-speed chase.
Christian Claustro, 28, was indicted on Thursday in federal court in Fresno, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert said in a news release. If convicted, Claustro could face up to a total of 13 years in prison and fines of up to $510,000.
On Dec. 26, 2022, Claustro stole the vehicle of a Yosemite Park employee who had pulled over to remove a bike from the roadway, according to the U.S. Attorney’s news release.
Claustro then led a park ranger on a high-speed chase that continued to the Ferguson Slide bridge, where he drove the wrong way and collided head-on with another motorist, authorities said. Claustro continued until he drove off a cliff, the news release says, plummeting 200 feet to the bottom of a canyon.
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