Veteran, 68, Found Dead After Car Was Swept Away by Floodwaters on Christmas Eve Drive

A 68-year-old Navy veteran died in California after his vehicle was swept away by powerful floodwaters during a Christmas Eve storm, authorities said.

The victim, identified as Robert Jerry Hiller, had been driving to visit friends for Christmas when his blue Toyota Yaris hatchback was caught in rapidly rising water near East Avenue I and 50th Street East in Lancaster, according to KTLA. When his family had not heard from him by Christmas Day, they reported him missing.

Air rescue crews later located Hiller’s partially submerged vehicle at around 9:45 a.m. on Christmas Day. He was found inside and pronounced dead at the scene, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.

Witness Tim Swain told KTLA he had been driving ahead of Hiller and tried desperately to warn him as the storm surge rushed across the roadway.

“I saw the water coming through and saw him heading straight into it. I flashed my headlights and high beams, like, ‘No!’” Swain said. He added that Hiller’s car was quickly swept away. Swain got out of his vehicle and searched for him but could not reach the submerged car.

“I wanted to go in after him, but I knew I’d be washed away,” he said. “I saw the headlights for a second — then they were gone.” Swain later contacted Hiller’s family after recognizing his name on a missing persons post shared online.

The incident occurred as the National Weather Service issued flash-flood and severe-storm warnings across Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties over the Christmas holiday.

On a GoFundMe page created in his memory, Hiller’s niece Mindy Mesec described his death as “a heartbreaking shock to all who loved him.”

Mesec wrote that Hiller was “a proud Navy veteran” who devoted his life to service “both in the military and in his community.” She added that with more than 25 years of sobriety, he became a mentor in Alcoholics Anonymous, always willing to listen and help others. “His absence leaves a profound void in the lives of his family and friends,” she said.

The fundraiser seeks to help cover funeral expenses.
PEOPLE has reached out to the Los Angeles Fire Department and Los Angeles Police Department for comment.