Crime & Safety
IE Hit And Run Suspect Arrested, Woman Killed In Redlands Intersection
The suspect in a fatal Redlands hit-and-run was arrested in Hesperia this week, but not before crashing into 3 more cars, officials say.
REDLANDS, CA — A 35-year-old Redlands man was arrested Wednesday in connection with a fatal hit-and-run collision that killed a 38-year-old woman one week ago.
Loren Jonathan Oajdea was arrested Wednesday afternoon in Hesperia following a short vehicle pursuit.
Investigators from the Redlands Police Department earlier identified Oajdea as the driver of a white 2023 Audi S5, captured on surveillance video, striking 38-year-old Stephany Rose Allen as she crossed Industrial Park Drive and Alabama Street shortly after midnight on Wednesday, Sept. 17.
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Detectives conducted surveillance and later located the car, which had been obscured under a makeshift tarp, at a home in the 14600 block of Golden Trail in Victorville.
The vehicle had front-end damage and a broken windshield consistent with the collision, investigators said.
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Oajdea was located in Hesperia on Wednesday, driving a rental car.
"As Redlands Police and San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies attempted to detain him, he fled, causing three minor collisions and leading police on a brief pursuit," a spokesperson for the department said.
He was taken into custody a few minutes later without further incident. He is being held without bail at the Central Detention Center in San Bernardino.
Initial witness reports indicated Rose had been struck by two vehicles as they sped through a red light, but further investigation revealed that the first vehicle likely did not strike her, according to reports.
Neither vehicle stopped after the collision.
Police are continuing to investigate to identify and locate the second vehicle and its driver.
Anyone with information regarding crime or suspicious activity is asked to contact Redlands Police Dispatch at (909) 798-7681 ext. 1. Certain non-emergency crimes may also be reported online using the Redlands Police Department’s CopLogic reporting system at www.cityofredlands.org/report-crime.
Suspicious activity and tips can be reported using the City of Redlands 311 mobile app available for Android, iPhones, and iPads.
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