A 79-year-old Military veteran was brutally murdered on Monday throughout a carjacking in Southern California.
James Norman was at a fuel station in Norco, California, cleansing his Chevy Trailblazer with the engine operating when 29-year-old Ryan Hewitt jumped within the driver’s seat and drove off.
Norman was hanging out the again door and was dragged after which thrown from the car. His household mentioned he was simply too frail to get out in time.
Hewitt was charged with felony carjacking and second-degree homicide. He’s being held on $1 million bail.
The sufferer’s household arrange a GoFundMe to assist pay for funeral bills and medical payments.
James Norman is survived by his beloved spouse, two daughters, two sons-in-law, and one grandson.
“Jim lived a modest, fundamental life, but in addition an adventurous life. He began off within the Military and labored throughout a number of fields together with building and car transport, and at one level, even took to the skies as a pilot. His ardour for journey for work and exploration led him to many corners of the usa, and his tales typically captivated these round him. Whether or not constructing one thing together with his palms or sharing tales from the highway, Jim introduced vitality and authenticity to every part he did,” the household mentioned.
BREAKING: California carjacker drives away with proprietor earlier than dragging him to his demise.
Gavin Newsom has turned California into hell. pic.twitter.com/rioUOcvrTp
— Dapper Detective (@Dapper_Det) May 13, 2025
ABC 7 reported:
The household of a 79-year-old man dragged and killed in a brutal carjacking Monday says they have been on the brink of meet him for dinner earlier than the lethal flip of occasions.
The sufferer’s daughter tells Eyewitness Information that her dad was an Military Veteran who was in frail well being. She mentioned he had survived some shut calls in his lifetime, from falling off a ladder to even strolling away from a aircraft crash. She says it’s onerous figuring out her dad died in such a violent method.
James Norman — often called Jim to his household and buddies — was on the brink of go to dinner together with his daughter and son-in-law when he made a rapid cease at an ARCO station on Hidden Valley Parkway in Norco.
“So he most likely went to scrub his automotive, and he was most likely ready for us to name him and say, ‘Hey dad, we’re on our method now and we’re going to return get you,’” mentioned Norman’s daughter, Nicole Lauritsen.
However as a substitute of calling her dad, Lauritsen says she acquired a name from a Riverside County sheriff’s deputy.
“‘Your dad’s been in an accident. Is there any solution to observe his telephone?’ And I mentioned, ‘No, however I can observe his automotive,’ and that’s form of the place it led,” Lauritsen mentioned. “Nothing made sense on the time, I feel, clearly as a result of it was an investigation, they couldn’t say something.”
SAY HIS NAME: James Norman (79)
U.S. Military Veteran. Dragged and kiIIed in a brutaI carjacking whereas cleansing his automotive in California on Monday.
Zero outrage. pic.twitter.com/CclVW2ElUz
— Finish Wokeness (@EndWokeness) May 14, 2025
