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WEST VALLEY CITY — A man who was standing on a front porch when police say he was hit by a teenager driving a stolen car was buried under so much debris that it took authorities nearly half an hour to find his body and they had to "ping" his phone.
Adrian Hernandez-Rodriguez, 24, was checking on an elderly neighbor on May 25, at 3233 S. Lehi Drive (2750 West), when a 15-year-old boy in a stolen car rounded a corner while trying to get away from police, lost control of the car and crashed into the house, according to police.
Police searched for Hernandez-Rodriguez for 25 minutes, and after they started pinging his cellphone, found his body "underneath a large pile of debris," according to charging documents.
Last week, the 15-year-old boy was charged in 3rd District Juvenile Court with murder, a first-degree felony; theft of a vehicle, a second-degree felony; and failing to respond to an officer's signal to stop, a third-degree felony.
KSL.com has opted not to name the teenager at this time.
The boy stole a Honda CR-V from the economy parking lot at Salt Lake City International Airport on May 22 by "jumping the curb, ramming the exit gate at the pay booth, and leaving the area heading westbound on I-80," according to charging documents.
Surveillance video later reviewed by police shows the teen and another person arriving at the airport using TRAX just before 7 a.m., taking a shuttle bus to the economy lot and then walking down two rows of vehicles, "checking door handles and entering five different vehicles before stealing the Honda," the charges state.
The Honda owner was contacted and told detectives he was out of the country and had left an old set of keys inside the vehicle.
Police arrest 15-year-old accused of fleeing officers, killing man who was visiting elderly neighbor
A 24-year-old man who was standing on a porch delivering food to a neighbor was killed in West Valley City Thursday when police say a 15-year-old drove into the yard and crashed.On May 25, the stolen Honda was spotted by West Valley police near 3500 S. Redwood Road. Three teens were in the car, including the 15-year-old boy, a 17-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl. An officer followed the vehicle but did not pursue it. The 15-year-old, however, tried to get away from the officer and went through a residential area near 3030 West and 3100 South, the charges state.
The two other teens later told detectives the 15-year-old had claimed he was driving his mother's car until he noticed police following them, and then told the others that the car was actually stolen, according to the charges. At that point, the others told the teen "to let them out, as they didn't want to be involved in his (stuff)."
Near 2951 W. Lehi Drive, the three teens tried to abandon the car and walk away. But when police officers approached them, the 15-year-old went back to the Honda and took off, "sideswiping an unmarked police vehicle and running over a set of spike strips while accelerating," according to the charges.
"Officers confirmed that (the teen) had run over the strips, puncturing all four tires before turning the blind curve onto Lehi Drive. As (the teen) went around the blind corner, he struck a low curb going 76 mph in a 25 mph residential area, launching the vehicle into the air. Investigators confirmed that (he) was at 99% full throttle when he went airborne, traveling 70 feet before landing in the front yard of a residence after striking the top of a 4-foot fence," the charges state.
The car hit Hernandez-Rodriguez "before crashing through the front and side of the home, through a chain link fence, striking two vehicles in the neighboring driveway, and a gas line," according to the charges. The teen was found lying next to the driver's side door asking for help, claiming his leg was broken. He was treated at a local hospital for a fractured hip before being booked into the Salt Lake Juvenile Detention Center.
It's not the first time the teen has been in trouble with police. In September, when he was 14, the boy was charged with motor vehicle theft, a second-degree felony, after an incident in Tooele County.
He also has been connected to several thefts at a West Jordan Dollar Tree, court documents state. He was charged with burglary, criminal mischief and theft, all third-degree felonies, for breaking into the store on May 13, 2022, about 2:30 a.m. and stealing items, charging documents state.
The teen was charged with burglary, criminal mischief and theft for a similar incident at the same store on May 9, 2022, according to court documents, and again for another incident on May 27.
On July 10, 2022, family members checking the teen's Snapchat account learned he was "trying to sell cannabis gummies and trying to get a gun," court documents say. The teen was charged with marijuana possession with intent to distribute, a third-degree felony. At the time of that incident, the boy was under house arrest for an undisclosed crime and had to wear an ankle monitor.
