Parked car crushes transient; police believe he was stealing tires

By ROSALIO AHUMADA
rahumada@modbee.com

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A man suspected of trying to steal tires and rims from a parked Cadillac in south Modesto died early Friday after the car collapsed onto him, a Stanislaus County sheriff's spokesman said.

Deputy Royjindar Singh said the 47-year-old man was taken to a Modesto hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He said the man was a transient living in the Modesto area.

Sheriff's officials did not release his name, pending family notification.

The incident occurred in the 800 block of East Hatch Road, just west of Highway 99.

Singh said the Cadillac's owner parked the 1989 four-door tan car in a vacant lot near his home so a mechanic could gain access to the vehicle. The car, which recently had been stolen, was recovered by authorities and in need of repairs.

About 5:30 a.m., a woman walking along East Hatch noticed a person stuck beneath a parked car, Singh said. She also noticed the person was not moving.

He said the woman flagged down several passing drivers, who helped lift the Cadillac off the man and pulled him out.

At the same time, firefighters and paramedics arrived.

Sheriff's deputies and detectives questioned witnesses and the Cadillac's owner, who said he did not know the man.

Singh said it appeared the man was trying to remove the Cadillac's tires on the driver's side; the passenger's side was being held up with cinder blocks, a piece of lumber and rocks.

He said the makeshift jacks failed and caused the vehicle to move toward the man, crushing him.

Detectives did not know how long the man was trapped before he was spotted.

Both passenger's side tires were missing, Singh said, and detectives did not know who took them. He said the rims were factory-made and the tires were bald, indicating the stolen auto parts might not have a high resale value.

"He could've rolled them out to some other place (before he started removing the driver's side tires) or he could've had an accomplice," Singh said.

The Sheriff's Department asks anyone with information about this case to call Detective Darwin Hatfield at 525-7100. Callers also can leave anonymous tips by calling CrimeStoppers at 521-4636 and may be eligible for a cash reward.

Bee staff writer Rosalio Ahumada can be reached at rahumada@modbee.com or 578-2394.