Man Arrested for Carjacking, Kidnapping, and False Imprisonment of Disabled Elderly Woman in Santa Ana
Photo: Jaime Magana Arechiga
A wanted suspect has been arrested after he allegedly carjacked a vehicle from a Santa Ana market while an elderly woman was still in the car.
The suspect, later identified as 37-year-old Jaime Magana Arechiga, had been on probation resisting arrest and restraining order violations. “Arechiga has a criminal record spanning over 22 years with prior arrests for burglary, resisting arrest, criminal threats, and sales/transportation of narcotics,” according to the release.
This most recent incident occurred on October 3, 2020, between noon and 1 PM. The victim, a 67-year-old disabled woman, was waiting in the passenger seat of her vehicle while her husband was shopping at Mom’s Market, located at 5111 W. Edinger Avenue.
Suddenly, the suspect got into the vehicle and drove it away from the market. Ignoring the woman’s pleas to return to the market, Arechiga continued driving for about 45 minutes. “During that time, the victim’s husband called her to inquire as to her whereabouts. The victim was unable to provide her various locations due to her limited vision.”
Finally, Arechiga stopped the vehicle at Centennial Park and was about to walk away with the keys, when he was confronted by the woman’s sister and brother-in-law, who had been able to contact the woman and learn their whereabouts. Before Arechiga ultimately fled the scene, he rummaged through the vehicle, and the woman’s sister got a picture of him.
Arechiga was located and arrested near his family’s residence on October 8th. He is being held on charges of carjacking, kidnapping, false imprisonment of elder/dependent adult, and his warrant. His bail has been set at $1,002,500.
