Patterson man arrested after his roommate’s body found in California Aqueduct
A Patterson man was arrested late Tuesday night, hours after the body of his roommate was found floating in the California Aqueduct, authorities said.
A bystander found the body of the victim, 62-year-old Anthony “Tony” Pistoia, in the aqueduct north of Patterson near McCracken Road shortly after noon on Tuesday.
Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Sgt. Luke Schwartz said the “primary crime scene” is believed to be the victim’s home in the 1100 block of Tern Way in Patterson.
Pistoia shared the home with his roommate, 33-year-old Juan Ramon Haro Ortega. Ortega was taken to the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department for an interview Tuesday, after which he was booked on suspicion of murder.
Schwartz would not say when Pistoia is believed to have been killed or how long his body had been in the aqueduct, but said he wasn’t aware of a missing persons report being filed for the victim. Pistoia’s cause of death is still unknown, pending an autopsy.
Asked if anyone else lived in the home with Pistoia and Ortega, Schwartz said, “We’re still looking into their complete living dynamic.”
Ortega was also booked on suspicion of assault, which “may have been a warrant from a previous case,” Schwartz said. He didn’t have any details about that case, including whether Pistoia was the victim.
Ortega, who has not yet been formally charged, is being held without bail at the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center. He also has a federal hold regarding his immigration status.
The case is ongoing, as detectives are still contacting, interviewing and identifying other witnesses, according to a press release.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Detective Talea Martin at 209-525-7093.
This story was originally published May 12, 2021 at 11:54 AM.
