HONOLULU (KHON2) — Two Maui visitors who were carjacked and robbed at gunpoint had to run, hide and hike for their lives to the top of Haleakalā.
Itʻs an ordeal authorities did not reveal publicly until NewsNation affiliate KHON2 started asking questions. Now the victims are speaking out to warn others about danger on Maui.
Alex and Justina Lucero were on Maui for music gigs earlier in June and decided to use their free day, June 4, to explore Paia and Hana.
They went to the parks, went on a couple trails on the bamboo forest and walked to a few waterfalls.
“Everybody was 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.
They said GPS took them through Kaupō where they noticed a road closed sign that 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.”
So when a truck pulled out of a driveway just after they passed, they pulled off the road and Alex waved the truck on.
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.
“He jumps out and comes right at us with the gun and stops us in the middle of the street.”
Alex said he was wearing a mask, a hood, a sweatshirt.
“Leave all valuables, leave the keys, empty your pockets, empty your pockets, leave everything in the car, and start walking that way now.”
They did what he told them to and left their phones behind to set off on foot back toward Hana.
Then they heard the 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.”
They had a choice to make, stay on the road theyʻre being chased on, head toward the water, or head up the hill–that hill being Haleakalā.
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, so I don’t know down from 10 or to count down from five. And at the end of it, he shot the gun off. And so we knew it was loaded. We knew he meant business.”
When they thought it couldnʻt get any worse, their pursuer was joined by a white multi-passenger van with a taxi sign.
“They rendezvous. They came up with some type of they, 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.
Now there’s, well, both driving up and down the road slowly looking for us.”
They continued darting up the mountain, both in swimming suits, her in slippers. And nobody to help.
During a break, they noticed that there was a third vehicle pacing the stretch of road, getting out with flashlights and even putting a drone in the sky.
“This feeling of being hunted and not knowing the extent of, you know, the, 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. They saw two men on horseback with dogs but, unsure whether they were help or hunter, they continued on without initiating contact.
Over a ridgeline they saw a big white structure and three people. As they waved for help, a park ranger came to their rescue.
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. That’s what his that’s what he said.”
The following week, MPD arrested Christopher Helmer on warrants for a separate kidnapping and terroristic threatening 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 to the Lucerosʻ carjacking.
Maui prosecutor Andrew Martin told KHON2, “I want to applaud the tremendous efforts of the Maui Police Department and our Deputy Prosecuting Attorneys in identifying, apprehending, and indicting this defendant. His victims have endured harrowing experiences and we look forward to bringing him to justice. “
“The successful capture and arrest of Christopher Helmer, who was implicated in multiple incidents across the island, is a testament to the dedication and unwavering commitment to upholding justice by our personnel. …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,” MPD said in a statement.
Helmer remains in custody.
The Luceros said they were told to share their story so people can beware.
“We almost didn’t make it home and that our lives are forever changed now, yeah, after what has happened, and we’re lucky to have gotten through it together, but this could have gone so many other ways.”