Latest news with #JamesNorman
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
Norco carjacking victim was going to meet family for dinner before being dragged to death: Family
The Brief James Norman, a 79-year-old U.S. Army veteran, was dragged to death during a violent carjacking incident. Norman's daughter believes her father may have been unaware of the incident since he was not wearing hearing aids. Norman was getting ready to join his family for dinner before the incident, family told FOX 11. A Riverside County family is heartbroken after a 79-year-old U.S. Army veteran was dragged to death in a carjacking incident at a gas station-car wash in Norco. What they're saying FOX 11 spoke with the daughter of James Norman, who died in Monday's horrific carjacking incident. Norman's daughter reveals her father was getting ready to meet his family for dinner that night as he was vacuuming his Chevrolet Trailblazer at the car wash area. It was at the gas station-car wash area where he got caught in a carjacking situation that left him getting dragged on the road. Norman was believed to not have hearing aids on so there was a possibility that he may not have been aware of what was going on, according to the 79-year-old veteran's daughter. "It's a horrible feeling and I hope he went quickly just to think of him being drug a quarter mile or so. Um, I know that street very well. It's where I grew up that he was just ejected from the car. He really was roadkill. He was just left for dead," his daughter said. After Norman was found lying on the road, it is also believed that two bystanders stood over his body along Hidden Valley Parkway so the 79-year-old would not get hit by passing cars. "I envisioned him laying as roadkill by himself, and it felt good that somebody was there with him in his last moments," his daughter said. What we know The suspect in the deadly incident, 29-year-old Ryan Hewitt, has since been arrested. He is being booked for carjacking and murder. The Source This report used information provided by the Riverside County Sheriff's Office and James Norman's family.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
79-Year-Old Army Veteran in ‘Frail' Health Dies After Being Dragged During Carjacking, Hours Before Meeting Family for Dinner
James Norman, 79, was killed as a result of the injuries he sustained from a carjacking, according to the police Authorities said Norman had been vacuuming the back of his car when the carjacker got in the driver's seat and started dragging him along Officers eventually tracked down the suspect, Ryan Hewitt, 29, who was arrested and booked on charges of carjacking and murderA grandfather and Army veteran was killed after a carjacking incident in California — just hours before he was supposed to meet his family for dinner. The Riverside County Sheriff's Department announced via a press release that James Norman, a 79-year-old Corona resident, was the victim in the attempted robbery of his SUV, which took place on Monday, May 12. Authorities said deputies from the Norco Sheriff's Station were dispatched around 12:30 p.m. local time to a business along Hidden Valley Parkway, where they spoke with witnesses and reviewed video surveillance footage regarding the incident. Members of the Corona Police Department eventually located a man, identified as Norman, 'east of the initial incident.' They said he was 'suffering from traumatic injuries consistent with being ejected from a vehicle.' Authorities told KABC-TV and KTLA that Norman had been vacuuming the back of his Chevrolet Trailblazer when a suspect got into the driver's seat and drove off, leaving the owner dangling from the SUV's back door. Norman was allegedly dragged about a half-mile up the road before he was eventually ejected from the vehicle, the police told the outlets. After he was found, Norman was "transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced deceased," the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said, per the release. The Riverside County Sheriff's Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. Once located by police, Norman was transported to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Investigators determined that he had died due to the injuries he had sustained from the carjacking, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said, per the release. After members of Riverside County Sheriff's Office Central Homicide Unit took over the investigation, they were able to track down Norman's SUV in Riverside before detaining a man identified as 29-year-old Ryan Hewitt, who was found near the intersection of Magnolia Avenue and Tyler Street. Upon further investigation, the sheriff's office said Hewitt, also a Corona resident, was 'arrested and booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center for carjacking and murder.' Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Although the Riverside County Sheriff's Department does not believe there are any other suspects involved in the incident, they said that the investigation into this case is 'active and ongoing.' Norman's daughter, Nicole Lauritsen, told KABC-TV that her father was an Army veteran who had been preparing to meet her and her husband for dinner that night. She said her father 'probably' stopped at an ARCO station 'to clean his car.' She added that 'he was probably waiting for us to call him and say, 'Hey dad, we're on our way now and we're going to come get you.' ' "He didn't have his hearing aids in, so I'm guessing he didn't hear with the vacuum on, and all of a sudden, the car is just backing up," Lauritsen told the outlet. "He was too old and frail to get out before the door slammed on him." Lauritsen told the outlet that she received a call from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department telling her that her dad had 'been in an accident,' and they needed her help to track down his phone. She then told them she had placed an AirTag in the vehicle as a way to keep an eye on her father — something that helped the police track down the SUV and catch the suspect. "I just hope he went quickly and I'm grateful for the people — and I hope to meet them — that surrounded him and protected his body so he wasn't just out in the middle of the road," Lauritsen told KABC-TV. In a GoFundMe created by Norman's family to raise funds for his funeral, he was described as someone who 'lived a modest, basic life, but also an adventurous life.' His family also said, 'He will be remembered for his resilience, his love of life, and his deep commitment to his family.' Read the original article on People
New York Post
14-05-2025
- New York Post
Beloved grandfather and Army vet dragged to death by deranged carjacker in California: cops
A crazed carjacker in California dragged an Army vet and beloved grandfather a half-mile to his death after speeding off in the 79-year-old's car, police said. James 'Jim' Norman was vacuuming out the back of his Chevrolet Trailblazer at an ARCO gas station in Norco at around 12:30 p.m. Monday when Ryan Hewitt, 29, jumped into the front seat, according to cops. 3 James Norman, known to his friends and family as Jim, was dragged to death during a carjacking. gofundme Advertisement Hewitt sped away with Norman desperately hanging onto the car's backseat, police said. Witnesses who saw the carjacking taking place called police. 'The caller reported witnessing a male entering the driver seat of a vehicle and driving away with the vehicle owner partially inside the rear seat,' police officials said. Norman was eventually thrown from the car, according to cops. Advertisement Investigators found his crumpled body a half-mile from the gas station and just a few miles from his home. Paramedics rushed the septuagenarian to a nearby hospital but his injuries were too severe. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. 'I just hope he went quickly and I'm grateful for the people — and I hope to meet them — that surrounded him and protected his body so he wasn't just out in the middle of the road,' Norman's daughter, Nicole Lauritsen, told 7 ABC Eyewitness News. Lauritsen also told the station that her father had plans to meet for a meal. She said she thinks the killer knew her father was clinging on for his life, but panicked and kept driving. Advertisement 'He was too old and frail to get out before the door slammed on him,' she said. 'He knew my dad was hanging, but just panicked and kept going until he fell out of the car.' 3 Police investigate the dragging death of James Norman, a grandfather and Army veteran. CBS News Her father wore hearing aids, but wasn't wearing them at the time, so he probably didn't even notice when the carjacker jumped into the driver's seat, Lauritsen told KCAL News. 'He didn't have his hearing aids in, so I'm guessing he didn't hear with the vacuum on and all of a sudden his car's backing up,' she said. Advertisement Investigators called Lauritsen and asked her if she had any way to track her father's phone. She said that she could track his car, since she had placed an AirTag on it to help keep track of him, according to KCAL. Cops found Norman's car parked and unoccupied. Shortly after, they found and arrested Hewitt. He was charged with carjacking and murder, police said. 3 Police charged Ryan Hewitt, 29, with carjacking and murder in the dragging death of James Norman, 79. Riverside County Sheriffs Office Norman lived a modest life, but an adventurous one, according to a GoFundMe page set up to help pay for his funeral and burial costs. He served in the Army and worked multiple jobs in his life, including construction, vehicle transport and 'even took to the skies as a pilot.' 'His passion for travel for work and exploration led him to many corners of the United States,' according to the GoFundMe page. 'Whether building something with his hands or sharing tales from the road, Jim brought energy and authenticity to everything he did.'
Miami Herald
13-05-2025
- Miami Herald
79-year-old vacuuming SUV dragged to death in carjacking, California cops say
A 79-year-old man died after being dragged up to a half-mile by his carjacked SUV, California sheriff's officials reported. James Norman of Corona died following the violent theft at 12:22 p.m. Monday, May 12, the Riverside County Sheriff's Office said in a news release. Norman was vacuuming the back seat of his Chevrolet Trailblazer outside a Norco car wash when an accused carjacker jumped in the front seat and drove away, deputies told KTLA. He became trapped in the back seat, then fell to the pavement and was dragged up to a half-mile before falling off, deputies told KCAL. Norman was taken to a hospital, where he died of his injuries, sheriff's officials said in the news release. The stolen SUV was later found parked in Riverside, deputies said. Detectives arrested Ryan Hewitt, 29, of Corona on charges of carjacking and murder following an investigation, the sheriff's office said. An investigation continues but investigators believe no other suspects were involved. They ask anyone with information to call 951-955-2777 or 951-955-2600. Norco is about a 50-mile drive east from Los Angeles.
Business Times
29-04-2025
- Business
- Business Times
China still backs overseas coal plants despite 2021 pledge, research shows
[SINGAPORE] Chinese firms are still building new coal-fired power plants in Indonesia despite a 2021 pledge to stop financing coal projects overseas, according to an analysis of energy investments in Brics countries released on Tuesday. China is involved in constructing 7.7 gigawatts of new coal-fired power, mostly plants used to run nickel smelters in Indonesia, US think tank Global Energy Monitor said. The Brics bloc was founded by Brazil, Russia, India and China in 2009 and has since expanded its membership and partners to cover around a quarter of the global economy and half the world's climate-warming carbon dioxide emissions. While rapid deployment in Brazil, India and China drove renewables to more than half of the bloc's total electricity mix last year, the 10 newest members and partners - including Nigeria and Kazakhstan as well as Indonesia - still rely on fossil fuels to meet rising energy demand, often with Chinese backing. 'There's a real risk of sending these countries down the wrong path by investing in coal, gas and oil,' said James Norman, project manager for GEM's Global Integrated Power Tracker. The 10 countries are building 25 GW of coal, oil and gas capacity, compared to 2.3 GW of solar and wind, GEM data showed. Another 63 GW of gas-fired capacity is under development. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up GEM said 62 per cent of the generation capacity under construction in the 10 countries relies on Chinese state-owned enterprises for finance, procurement, engineering or construction. China is backing 88 per cent of all the new coal power under construction. China's environment ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. President Xi Jinping said in 2021 that China would no longer help build or finance overseas coal-fired power, but at least 26.2 GW of new China-backed capacity has been built since the pledge was made, according to research published last year. Climate change will be high on the agenda at a meeting of Brics leaders in Brazil in June, with the host country calling on China and others to make bigger commitments to cut emissions ahead of the COP 30 climate summit in November. REUTERS
