East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts

January 4, 2022 (Alpine) – The driver of a blue Peterbuilt truck towing a double-axle flatbed Fontaine trailer was killed in an accident this afternoon on I-8 east of Dunbar Lane in Alpine.  All but one lane remains closed and a SIG Alert has been issued due to traffic delays of an hour or more.

According to Officer Travis Garrow with the California Highway Patrol, the as yet unidentified man applied the brakes and a load of steel sheet pile beams shifted forward, penetrating the back of the truck and impaling the driver.

By Karen Pearlman

December 31, 2021 (La Mesa) -- Ron Brady was the founder of a high profile construction company, but it was the practice of philanthropy over the course of many decades that helped him develop some of his closest community ties.

A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Brady took over his father's business, the lath and plastering contracting firm E.F. Brady that started in 1946, and turned it into a successful construction business known as the Brady Companies. The Brady companies were instrumental in developing much of San Diego County, Los Angeles County and parts of Northern California. The companies specialize in drywall, plaster and lath that are geared toward major commercial projects.

Over the course of his lifetime, he and his wife, Mary Alice, gave away hundreds of thousands of dollars to different organizations, from Sharp Grossmont Hospital to the East County YMCA to the Boys and Girls Clubs of East County.

Photo, left: Learjet crash victims Tina Ward, Julian Bugaj, Laurie Gentz and Douglas Grande, clockwise from bottom. Photo via Oceanside Firefighters Association 3736 Facebook

By Rebecca Jefferis Williamson

Dec. 30, 2021 (El Cajon) -- Two flight nurses and two pilots have been identified as those lost in the Learjet 35A plane crash that occurred Dec. 27 in the Bostonia neighborhood of El Cajon.  

The plane was owned by Aeromedevac Air Ambulance. Tina Ward, Julian Bugaj, Laurie Gentz, and Douglas Grande, the Aeromedevac flight crew N88OZ, all perished in the crash.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Screenshot from video posted by 10 News, an ECM news partner

Update December 28, 2021: The FAA reports that four people were on board the plane.

December 27, 2021 (El Cajon) -- A Lear jet owned by Med Jet LLC, an air ambulance company, crashed at 7:15 p.m. tonight at Pepper Drive and North Mollison Avenue in the Bostonia area of El Cajon.  The pilot and any passengers aboard the 10-seat plane are presumed dead following multiple explosions.  There are no reports of fatalities on the ground, ECM news partner Times of San Diego reports.

The crash spewed fiery wreckage across the neighborhood, damaged a vehicle and knocked out power to around 2,500 customers of SDG&E, the utility website indicates. Power is expected to be restored by 6 a.m. tomorrow. Traffic signals are also out in the vicinity.

By Miriam Raftery

December 26, 2021 (San Diego’s East County) – Heavy snowfall is forecast Monday, along with wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour in San Diego’s mountain areas.  Snow is forecast to blanket local mountain communities including Pine Valley and Julian. Above 4,500 feet, four to eight inches of snow are forecast, with up to 16 inches above 6,500 feet at the highest peaks in San Bernadino and Riverside counties. 

East County News Service

December 23, 2021 (Santee) – Each year, residents in an area dubbed “Starlight Circle” decorate their homes elaborately for the holidays, drawing thousands of visitors.

By Elijah McKee

December 21, 2021 (El Cajon) — The El Cajon City Council tackled several County-level issues at its recent meeting on December 14.  

First, City Manager Graham Mitchell spoke about a rare opportunity to temporarily over-staff the police department with 10 new officers drawn laterally from other nearby agencies, in an effort to save the city money over the next three years. 

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, as many as 160 San Diego police officers may be facing termination in light of the city’s vaccine mandate. Meanwhile, El Cajon does not currently have such a mandate.

By Miriam Raftery

December 20, 2021 (El Cajon) – In his State of the City address on December 14, El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells declared the City is in “excellent condition” despite challenges posed by the pandemic and more.

By Miriam Raftery

December 19, 2021 (Lakeside) – Sheriff’s deputies responding to a report of a vehicle burglary in the 12100 block of State Route 67 in Lakeside yesterday afternoon made a grim discovery. While searching the area, deputies looked into a nearby travel trailer and found a body with signs of rigor mortis, says Lieutenant David Gilmore.

By Miriam Raftery

December 16, 2021 (El Cajon) – Sheriff’s deputies deployed a spike strip on Interstate 8 East in El Cajon Tuesday night to help stop a suspected carjacker who forced an Amazon driver out of a delivery truck in Kearny Mesa. The driver drove a short distance on the shredded tires before he was surrounded by officers and arrested in the parking lot at Shadow Mountain Church on Greenfield Drive in El Cajon around10 p.m.

East County News Service

December 16, 2021 (La Mesa) – The La Mesa City Council has approved the La Mesa Village Association’s proposed downtown district sign at this week’s Council meeting.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo courtesy of ECM news partner 10 News

Update December 17, 2021:  Burton Kanehailue, who was in the New Mexico/Texas area, contacted El Cajon Police Department arson investigators, indicating he wanted to turn himself in to police. Kanehailue was subsequently taken into custody by the Socorro Police Department in New Mexico without incident. The tow truck stolen by Kanehailue was also recovered. Kanehailue is being held in New Mexico pending extradition to California, where he will face charges of arson and auto theft, says Lt. Randy Soulard with El Cajon Police.

December 15, 2021 (El Cajon) – El Cajon Police seek public help to locate Burton Kanehailua, 29, a tow truck driver wanted for allegedly setting fire to C&D Towing before fleeing in a stolen C&D flatbed tow truck, which is a 2016 Dodge Ram 5500.  He is also known to drive an older-model white Volvo station wagon.

The suspect weighs about 320 pounds, is 5 feet 9 inches tall, and has brown hair and brown eyes.

By Miriam Raftery

December 14, 2021 (San Diego) – A powerful storm moving down from Orange and San Bernadino Counties into the San Diego region has prompted the National Weather Service to issue a high wind warning for San Diego County’s mountain and desert aeras, with gusts up to 70 miles per hour. A wind advisory is in effect for inland valleys. Along the coast, a gale warning and high surf advisory have been issued locally.

Snow is forecast late today and tonight down to 3,500 feet which could include areas such as Pine Valley and Descanso in addition to places at higher elevations such as Julian, Cuyamaca, Mount Laguna, and Palomar Mountain. If you must travel in the mountains, carry chains and be aware of hazardous conditions.

Flash floods are also possible late today and tomorrow as heavy rains pelt our region. Cleveland National Forest reminds drivers to turn around and don’t drive across flooded roadways, since even shallow swift-moving water can quickly sweep a vehicle downstream to deeper waters.

East County News Service

December 13, 2021 (El Cajon) – El Cajon Police are investigating a suspicious death after Sharp Grossmont Hospital reported a 29-year-old man with a single gunshot wound admitted by family members last night around 8:15 p.m. The man died of his injury upon arrival at the hospital.  

“At this time, it is believed the incident originated on the 500 block of Jeffree Street in the City of El Cajon,” says Sergeant James Juns with El Cajon Police.