‘You are going to kill us’: Hayward man charged with kidnapping an on-duty cop

HAYWARD — Jonathan Vaca and Officer Timothy Brown were hurtling down the righthand shoulder of Interstate 880 at an estimated 80 miles per hour, both unrestrained by seat belts, Vaca struggling to steer in a straight line as Brown fought him for control of the vehicle’s gear shift, authorities said in court filings.

A few minutes ago, it had started as a routine traffic stop over a relatively minor traffic violation, but within moments it had devolved into a life or death struggle in a speeding video. By the incident’s end, Vaca, a Hayward resident, would make his escape but police would quickly obtain a warrant for him on charges of kidnapping Brown, an 11-year veteran with the California Highway Patrol, court records show.

Vaca was arrested Jan. 22 in Hayward, roughly three weeks after he allegedly drove off as Brown was attempting to unbuckle him from a black Honda Accord, trapping the officer in the moving vehicle and continuing down the northbound shoulder of the freeway. At an initial court appearance, Vaca pleaded not guilty to charges of kidnapping a policeman, resisting CHP officers, and evading police. He has been freed from jail after posting $75,000 bail, records show.

The incident, detailed in court filings that include Brown’s own firsthand narrative, began around 1:30 p.m. on New Year’s Eve 2025, when Brown pulled over the Honda south of the Tennyson Road exit, for allegedly having too dark of a tint. Vaca initially complied with the officer, handing over his license. But when Brown asked Vaca to get out of the car and sign his citation, things took an awkward turn. Vaca refused and requested a supervisor, Brown wrote in court filings.

Brown had a reason for the request; he observed what he believed was a sign the Honda’s federal label had been tampered with, and he wanted to inspect the car for potential VIN switching, according to court records. He wrote in his report that after Vaca refused his “lawful orders” and was warned he’d be physically removed, Brown reached into the Honda and unbuckled the driver’s seatbelt.

That’s when Vaca allegedly stomped on the car. Within seconds, they were speeding down the shoulder, passing motorists on the left. Brown was thrown fully into the car and landed in the front passenger seat. Seeing no other viable options, Brown tried to reason with the man who was now his captor, he wrote in his report.

“Stop the car or you’re going to kill us,” Brown recalled telling Vaca.

But Vaca didn’t stop. Brown then attempted to throw the gearshift into park, and the two men fought over it, switching the level between “D” and “P” in the center console. As they came upon the Tennyson Road exit, Vaca swerved and nearly crashed into a passing car. Finally, Brown had enough, he wrote in court filings.

“In fear for my life, I unholstered my firearm and told Vaca to pull over and let me out or I was going to shoot him,” Brown wrote in court filings. “Vaca looked at me and stated, ‘Don’t shoot me.’”

Then Vaca brought the Honda to a halt, allowing Brown to get out of the car near the exit, then speeding through a red light back onto the freeway. Brown watched Vaca leave, then waited for Sgt. Manuel Leal to arrive and pick him up. Vaca made his escape, but CHP investigators say they later verified his identity and arrested him in Hayward.

Three weeks later, on Jan. 21, a group of CHP officers staked out a section of Alvarado-Niles Road near I-880, “due to several sightings of the (Honda) in the area,” police said in court filings. At around 4:11 p.m., the Honda drove by. Officers followed it and pulled the car over at a Chevron gas station near Union Landing Road.

After taking Vaca into custody, police inspected the black Honda Accord and realized Vaca’s suspicions had been correct, authorities said in court filings. It had been reported stolen out of Fremont.