Suspect thought getting naked, hiding in bushes would fool police. It didn’t work

A Ceres man fleeing police stripped naked in an effort to hide his identity after a short pursuit through south Modesto on Sunday night, authorities said.

Ceres Police Officer Christian Izquierdo initiated a traffic stop on a Chevrolet pickup around 10:40 p.m in the area of Bystrum Road and Lombardo Avenue. The driver was speeding and the pickup had no front license plate, said Sgt. Greg Yotsuya.

The driver, later identified as 24-year-old Nicholas Moran, failed to yield and a pursuit ensued.

During the mile-long pursuit Moran ran stop signs and red lights, Yotsuya said.

The pursuit ended when the pickup hit an embankment on the south side of the Seventh Street Bridge and became disabled, Yotsuya said.

A female passenger was found in the vehicle and detained.

“She was visibly upset and crying when she was contacted,” Yotsuya said in an email. “She stated that she had begged (Moran) to stop the vehicle multiple times during the pursuit but he refused to do so. “

A perimeter was set up and the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department, including the department’s helicopter, assisted in the search.

Moran was found naked, hiding on the north side of the river in some bushes.

Yotsuya said he was pretending to be homeless and told officers his clothing had been stolen.

He had removed all of his clothing in an apparent effort to hide his involvement, Yotsuya said.

Moran was charged Tuesday with felony reckless evading and driving on a suspended license.

This story was originally published January 30, 2019 at 8:27 AM.