Redlands man arrested in fatal hit-and-run that killed pedestrian
The suspect was identified using surveillance video from the scene; he was arrested in Hesperia on Wednesday after a brief police pursuit.
REDLANDS, Calif. — A Redlands man was arrested Wednesday in connection with a fatal hit-and-run collision that killed a 38-year-old woman last week, police said Thursday.
Loren Jonathan Oajdea, 35, was taken into custody in Hesperia on Sept. 24 after leading law enforcement on a brief pursuit, according to the Redlands Police Department.
Detectives had identified Oajdea as the driver of a white 2023 Audi S5 that struck Stephany Rose Allen as she crossed Industrial Park Drive at Alabama Street shortly after midnight Sept. 17. Surveillance video showed the vehicle striking Allen, police said.
Investigators later found the Audi hidden under a tarp at a Victorville home in the 14600 block of Golden Trail. The car had front-end damage and a shattered windshield consistent with the crash, according to police.
Oajdea was located Wednesday in Hesperia driving a rental car. As officers attempted to detain him with assistance from San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies, Oajdea fled, causing three minor collisions before being taken into custody a few minutes later, police said. He is being held without bail at the Central Detention Center in San Bernardino.
Initial witness accounts indicated Allen may have been struck by two vehicles that ran a red light, but police said their investigation showed the first vehicle likely did not hit her. Neither driver stopped at the scene, police said. The second vehicle involved has not been identified, and police are continuing to investigate.
