Police are asking the public not to pick up any hitchhikers on Saddle Road or Mauna Kea Access Road this afternoon after discovering a vehicle in which a suspected carjacker, possibly armed, fled Hilo this morning. Police are asking the
Police are asking the public not to pick up any hitchhikers on Saddle Road or Mauna Kea Access Road this afternoon after discovering a vehicle in which a suspected carjacker, possibly armed, fled Hilo this morning.
Police have set up a roadblock at the entrance to Mauna Kea Access Road off the Saddle Road and are limiting access to the area. The road is closed to the public until further notice while police search for the suspect.
Police said they found the Honda Accord, stolen in a carjacking incident this morning in Hilo, off the access road. The suspect, Jeremy Todd Rios, 31, was seen fleeing into the brush. Police are searching the area with help from a county helicopter crew.
Rios is described as 5-foot-7, 170 pounds with brown hair, brown eyes and numerous tattoos, including one on his throat/neck area depicting brass knuckles. He may be in possession of a firearm.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts should call the Police Department’s nonemergency line at 935-3311.
Those who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo or 329-8181 in Kona and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.
