Police identified the suspect as Toai Pham, who detectives say was taken into custody on May 8 at a local driving range. After being booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center, Pham was later released and is expected to appear in court on June 23 at the Riverside Superior Courthouse.

    Investigators believe there could be additional victims who have not yet contacted authorities. Riverside Police Detective Steven Espinosa said detectives are encouraging anyone who may have encountered Pham, or someone matching his description, around the Mt. Rubidoux area to come forward.

    “If you have seen Pham or someone with a similar description approaching women around the area of Mt. Rubidoux, we encourage you to come forward,” Espinosa said.

    The investigation began after a woman contacted the department’s Public Safety Communications Center on the morning of March 9 at approximately 8:30 a.m. to report that she had been sexually battered while hiking in the Mt. Rubidoux area.

    According to investigators, detectives later learned that Pham regularly hikes Mt. Rubidoux during the morning hours.

    Police said the victim told investigators that Pham approached her during the hike and allegedly touched her inappropriately without consent.

    Anyone with information related to the investigation is being asked to contact Officer James Payne at (951) 353-7113 or by email at JPayne@RiversideCA.gov.

    Anonymous tips may also be submitted through the Riverside Police Department’s “Atlas 1” mobile app using the department’s secure “Send a Message” feature, which is available on both Apple and Android devices, authorities said.

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“Directing Change gives young people the opportunity to speak openly, support one another and help shape school communities where every student feels valued, understood and encouraged to reach out for help,” Riverside County Superintendent of Schools Edwin Gomez said. “Recognizing our students for expanding mental health awareness is a meaningful opportunity to show how much we value their powerful insights and inspiring creativity.”

Selected entries from the 2026 contest will be shown after a Red Carpet arrival, beginning shortly before 5 p.m. Wednesday at the Fox Performing Arts Center in downtown Riverside.

The competition is held annually as part of the “Youth Creating Change” program. Students are invited to produce vignettes, comparable to public service announcements, that are 30 to 60 seconds long.

A total 213 entries from two dozen schools and nonprofit organizations countywide were submitted this year, according to the Riverside University Health System, which sponsors the contests.

“Supporting the well-being of Riverside County’s young people is one of the most meaningful investments we can make in our future,” Board of Supervisors Chair Karen Spiegel said. “Directing Change gives students a powerful platform to share their voices, uplift one another and inspire change through creativity and compassion. These films reflect the insight, courage and heart of our youth, reminding us that honest conversations build stronger schools, healthier communities and a hopeful future.”

Along with the regular categories focused on suicide prevention and mental health awareness, this year’s event established two additional categories — substance abuse and Boys & Young Men Media Challenge — according to RUHS.

“By encouraging honest storytelling and peer connection, the program helps foster empathy, awareness and a culture of care among youth,” the agency stated.

The event is slated to conclude about 8 p.m. Wednesday.

More information is available at hopeandjustice.art/riversidecounty.

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Angel Baby Cruz of Riverside was arrested last year following a California Highway Patrol investigation into the deadly wreck.

At the end of a preliminary hearing Tuesday, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Timothy Hollenhorst found there was sufficient evidence to bound Cruz over for trial on the murder count, along with a sentence-enhancing allegation of committing a felony offense while on bail.

The judge scheduled a post-preliminary hearing arraignment for May 27 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.

Cruz remains held without bail at the Robert Presley Jail.

According to the CHP, shortly before 5 a.m. April 26, 2025, the defendant was at the wheel of a Mercedes 300 going westbound on the 60 when the sedan went out of control and slammed into the center divider wall between La Rue Street and Rubidoux Boulevard.

“The vehicle then went across all lanes and struck a tree,” Officer Javier Navarro said. “The vehicle became fully engulfed by fire.”

Good Samaritans stopped and went to help Cruz and his front-seat passenger, a young man identified in court documents only as “D.G.”

Navarro said they managed to pull Cruz to safety but couldn’t get to the victim, who was unconscious, before the Mercedes was consumed by the blaze.

“After the Riverside County Fire Department put out the flames, the body was located in the front seat,” the CHP spokesman said.

No one else had been in the car. No other vehicles were involved in the crash.

Cruz underwent treatment at a Riverside hospital for unspecified minor injuries, at which point he was also determined to be intoxicated, Navarro alleged.

The defendant was formally taken into custody without incident. After a brief hospitalization, he was cleared for booking into the downtown Riverside jail.

Cruz has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County. There were no details available concerning the circumstances of his prior arrest, or how long he had been on bond leading up to the fatal crash.

The post Trial Ordered For 20-Year-Old Man Charged With Murder In Jurupa Valley DUI Death appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

According to the Riverside Police Department, a teenage girl was in the area of Market and Sixth streets, near the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa, when an unknown man physically assaulted her, possibly inflicting injuries, shortly after 3 a.m. on April 25.

The circumstances were unclear.

Witnesses who were not acquainted with either party called 911, but when patrol officers reached the location, “They learned the parties involved had left the area prior to police contact, and no identifying information was provided,” police Lt. Steve Espinosa said.

“Officers obtained surveillance footage from a nearby business and gathered witness statements,” Espinosa said. “The suspect was identified as an adult male seen in the area at the time of the incident.”

Still-frame video images circulated by investigators did not clearly depict the individual, showing him only as a light-skinned Hispanic or Caucasian man with facial hair and partially bald. His dark-colored tank-top shirt appeared to have been torn open in the picture.

Detectives want to interview the victim, but her identity, too, is a mystery, according to Espinosa.

Her friends and family, or anyone who may have been in the downtown area during the predawn hours of April 25 and who spotted anything unusual in the vicinity of where the attack occurred, was asked to come forward.

Espinosa can be reached at 951-826-5959. Alternately, police dispatch is available at 951-354-2007.

The post Police Searching For Victim, Assailant In RivCo Attack appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

The Sunday social is scheduled from noon to 4 p.m. on May 17 in the museum’s Heritage House, 8193 Magnolia Ave.

The museum described the event as “a sweet afternoon that pairs 250 years of American history with one of Riverside’s favorite traditions: the old- fashioned ice cream social.”

The U.S. will officially turn 250 on July 4th, the date on which the Declaration of Independence was formally recognized in 1776. The instrument was then publicized and circulated far and wide, while war with Great Britain intensified.

The Museum of Riverside is among a variety of organizations throughout Riverside County hosting different functions ahead of the Fourth of July to mark the “Semiquincentennial.”

“This free family-friendly event will include live music, crafts, games, house tours and, of course, plenty of ice cream,” the museum stated.

Thrifty Ice Cream will be providing the treats, without charge, according to officials.

They said that one of the “surprise additions” is the red, white and blue sherbet.

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The crash occurred on the northbound 215 freeway near Eucalyptus Avenue around 7:30 p.m., KABC reported.

The circumstances of what caused the crash were not immediately available, but two adults and two infants were left trapped in the wreck, NBC4 reported. One person died but it was not immediately clear if they were an adult or child, the station reported.

The Riverside Fire Department responded to the scene and took multiple people to the hospital, including one minor to a trauma center, according to KCBS.

First-responders used the jaws of life to free the vehicle’s passengers, according to media reports.

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The non-injury blaze, called the Scout fire, was reported at 12:03 p.m. in the area of Mission Inn Avenue and Indian Hill Road, adjacent to a homeless encampment,  according to the Riverside Fire Department. Before it was controlled, for safety reasons Mt. Rubidoux was evacuated and Mission Inn Avenue was closed, blocking travel to and from Jurupa Valley.

The agency said multiple city and Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department engine and hand crews were sent to the location and encountered flames moving at a moderate rate to the southeast.

No homes were threatened, and no evacuation warnings for residential areas were issued.

A Cal Fire water-dropping helicopter was summoned to make drops on the brusher.

At 1:06 p.m., firefighters halted the fire’s forward rate of spread and established hose lays on one side of the brusher. The fire was controlled by 5 p.m.

“An arson investigator determined it was intentional,” said Riverside Fire Battalion Chief Bruce Vanderhorst.

The Riverside Fire Department’s arson division is leading the ongoing investigation. No arrests had been made as of Tuesday evening.

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The fire, reported on Thursday, Dec. 5, just before 2 a.m. destroyed a one-story house near the area of Canal Street and Pacific Avenue.

Firefighters pulled the teenager from the home with severe burns and smoke inhalation before he was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

A family member identified the teen as Zakaria Diaz, a student at Central Middle School in Riverside.

The school’s principal also confirmed Zakaria’s death in a statement to the community that was shared with KTLA.

“It is with profound sadness that we must inform you of the passing of a Central Middle School student. Eighth grader, Zakaria Diaz, died on Saturday, December 7 after being injured in a house fire in Jurupa Valley,” a portion of the statement read. 

The principal went on to describe Zakaria as “a profoundly kind student who enjoyed all aspects of school life. As a 7th grader, he played in the Intermediate Band and his bandmates from last year are still his closest friends. As one of the tallest students at Central, you should see him above all the other kids but he was truly a gentle giant with a quick smile and an easy laugh.”

The vigil for Zakaria will be held at 6091 Mission Boulevard at 1 p.m. on Dec. 20.

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The victim, identified only as a Corona resident, was struck shortly before 8 a.m. at Eucalyptus and University avenues, near downtown, according to the Riverside Police Department.

Sgt. Tim Jensen said the woman was walking northbound on Eucalyptus and entered the crosswalk at University when a southbound Honda Civic initiated a left turn onto University from Eucalyptus, plowing into the victim.

The motorist, identified only as a 29-year-old Riverside man, immediately stopped, Jensen said.

Riverside Fire Department paramedics arrived within minutes and found the pedestrian with extensive injuries. She was taken to Riverside Community Hospital in critical condition, according to the sergeant.

He said the motorist was questioned but not arrested.

Anyone with information was asked to contact the Major Accident Investigation Team at 951-826-8720.

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The famed “Festival of Lights” has returned to downtown Riverside, and will continue until the start of 2025, featuring millions of lights, holiday displays, carnival rides, caroling, Santa Claus and other entertainment on the pedestrian mall.

Like last year, this year’s fest began the weekend prior to Thanksgiving. The switch-on ceremony was held Saturday afternoon and was be presided over by Mission Inn Hotel & Spa owner Duane Roberts, members of the Riverside City Council and other guests.

Prior to 2023, the ceremonies were traditionally held the day after Thanksgiving, but according to organizers, there’s now an emphasis on getting a head start on the season’s activities.

Last year’s switch-on drew thousands of spectators. This year’s event included a free concert, featuring Matt Mauser & The Tijuana Dogs, as well as Richard Goodall, winner of the 2024 “America’s Got Talent” contest.

2024 Festival of Lights switch-on ceremony

This was the fest’s 32nd anniversary.

Roberts, who inaugurated the tradition in 1992, said in 2023 that the festival consistently draws up to 500,000 visitors over a one-month span, “all thrilled to watch the display come to life through the Holidays.”

Switch-on events were rescinded in November 2020 and November 2021. The 2020 event was prohibited because of the COVID lockdowns, and the city council decided to forgo the 2021 switch-on as a precautionary measure. The ceremony got back on track in 2022.

The nightly fest features the century-old inn bathed in multi-colored hues, with hundreds of animated characters, including elves, toy soldiers, nutcrackers and angels visible on banisters, balconies and ledges.

Towering Christmas trees and wooden soldiers traditionally line the way outside and into the hotel, where visitors also encounter a mistletoe measuring 12-by-8 feet.

Ice skating is slated to be available on the Main Street pedestrian mall, and at the corner of Mission Inn Avenue and Lime Street, a Ferris wheel will be in operation. Carolers sometimes make appearances around the hotel.

There will be live musical entertainment weekly, photos with Santa Claus, as well as artisan booths and food vendors up and down the mall. The city festoons light standards and other municipal property with displays and lights.

City spokesman Phil Pitchford told City News Service roughly $1.5 million in municipal funds were allocated for this year’s fest, compared to about $1 million in 2023.

Although festivities will stop on Dec. 31, the lights are slated to stay on through the first week of January.

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