Update: Driver who allegedly crashed stolen car into oak tree in SLO County identified
A man and woman from the Central Valley were arrested after allegedly stealing a car and crashing it into a tree in Atascadero on Tuesday afternoon, according to the CHP.
The incident ended after a high-speed chase that began in the San Luis Obispo area about 2:50 p.m., CHP Officer T. Murray said.
At times during the pursuit, the driver of the stolen vehicle, a white 2014 Chevrolet Camaro, exceeded speeds of 100 miles per hour, the CHP said.
Authorities lost track of the car at about 3 p.m. for about 30 minutes, as it traveled north on the Cuesta Grade, the CHP said.
A Templeton CHP unit located the vehicle about 3:30 p.m. traveling northbound on Highway 41 near Homestead Road, and the chase resumed, Murray said.
The CHP and other agencies surrounded the area, Murray said, and the CHP used a helicopter overhead to locate the car.
“The subject vehicle went around a sharp curve in the roadway while traveling at an unsafe speed,” the CHP said.
The driver lost control of the car and crashed into an oak tree, CHP officials said.
The driver, identified as Jonah Manuel Fernandes, 25, of Corcoran, was arrested at 4:14 p.m. after he fled on foot following the crash, the CHP said.
His passenger, Brittany Hughart-Aguilar, 30, of Hanford, was also detained at the scene of the wreck, the CHP officer said.
Fernandes and Hughart-Aguilar both declined medical treatment, according to the CHP.
Fernandes was being held Wednesday at the San Luis Obispo County Jail in lieu of $20,000 bail on suspicion of felony auto theft, receiving or purchasing stolen property and reckless driving.
Hughart-Aguilar was not listed in jail custody Wednesday, according to jail records.
The Camaro is believed to have been stolen out of the area, possibly in the Central Valley area, CHP officials said.
This story was originally published January 14, 2020 at 5:28 PM.
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