Family members are devastated after a grandfather was killed in a violent carjacking in Riverside County.
“He lived a good life, modest,” Nicole Lauritsen said of her father, James Norman, 79. “He had a big heart.”
On May 12, Norman was parked at an Arco gas station on Hidden Valley Parkway in Norco at around 12:22 p.m., located about five minutes away from his home.
He was vacuuming his Chevy Trailblazer SUV and left the doors open. As he was cleaning, a male suspect, Ryan Hewitt, 29, of Corona, suddenly jumped into the driver’s seat and started the car.
As the suspect began backing the car up, Norman, who was still partially in the back seat, became trapped.
“He didn’t have his hearing aids in, so I’m guessing he didn’t hear with the vacuum on and all of a sudden, his car is backing up and he was too old and frail to get out before the door slammed on him,” Lauritsen said.
Norman was dangling from the car and was dragged about a half-mile up the road before he was ejected from the moving vehicle, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said.
He suffered critical injuries and was rushed to Riverside Community Hospital, where he died from his injuries.
“He knew my dad was hanging, but he panicked and just kept going until he fell out of the car,” Lauritsen said. “That’s what [the suspect] told investigators. Apparently, he has a drug problem and he was just trying to get to Riverside to get more drugs.”
Norman’s SUV was later found abandoned near Polk Street and Magnolia Avenue in Riverside. They found Hewitt a few blocks away, where he was arrested for carjacking and murder. Investigators were able to find the car because Lauritsen had placed an Apple AirTag inside.
She said several good Samaritans helped shield Norman from oncoming traffic as he was left lying on the road.
“I’m struggling with the vision I have of how he went down,” Lauritsen said. “I imagine he was so scared.”
Heartbroken, she said her father was an army veteran and had spent his career working in truck transport and construction. She’s grateful the suspect was caught and wants to see justice for her father’s death.
“I’m angry, I’m hurt,” she said. “I’m so thankful that they caught him as quickly as they could. It doesn’t give you closure, but there’s somebody to be held accountable for.”
Norman is survived by his wife, two daughters and a grandson.
“He will be remembered for his resilience, his love of life, and his deep commitment to his family,” his family wrote on a GoFundMe page.
An arraignment hearing for Hewitt is scheduled for May 14. He remains in custody on $1 million bail. The deadly incident is under investigation by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office. No additional suspects are believed to be involved.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Central Homicide Master Investigator Deanne at 951-955-2777 or Jurupa Valley Station Investigator Ramirez at 951-955-2600.
A GoFundMe page to help Norman’s family with funeral expenses can be found here.
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