Brazen Pukalani carjacking highlights need for vigilance
An Upcountry woman who ran to escape being mowed down by a carjacker stealing her husband’s truck Wednesday in Pukalani says she hopes her experience can serve as a wakeup call to others on the island.
Alysha Nichols-Sparkman was looking at her phone while sitting in husband Sidney Sparkman’s idling 2021 Ford Ranger parked outside Longs Drugs in the Kulamalu Town Center when the driver’s door opened. She assumed it was Sparkman until the overpowering smell of cigarettes wafted over her.
“I said, ‘this is the wrong car, this is the wrong car, buddy,’” Nichols-Sparkman said Friday. “He said he had a knife. He said to get out of the car. I said no, this is my husband’s truck, and he said, ‘if you don’t get out, I’m going to kill you. If you don’t get out, you’re going to die.’”
In an act of defiance she’s not sure the intruder noticed, Nichols-Sparkman grabbed the truck’s key fob before opening her door and stepping out of the truck. She was still alongside, boxed in by the open door and a white Honda when the carjacker put the truck into reverse and stepped on the gas.
“The truck door starts grinding down the car next to me, so I start running so the door doesn’t mow me down and knock me over,” she said. “It starts peeling out of the parking lot. The door was still open. He could have run over other people.”
She says she thought the carjacker was a man, but some of the people who witnessed the crime told police they thought it was a woman. Nichols-Sparkman says the person was tall, with long, black, wavy hair, light eyes and a dark complexion. The person was wearing a black jacket and carrying a black pack with small repetitive print.
She said police officers responded quickly. While statements were being taken, she and her husband followed the truck’s progress over the officers’ radios. Reports of erratic driving were called in from drivers near King Kekaulike High School and Haliimaile. One of
ficer ended up driving the shaken Nichols-Sparkman home, while another took Sparkman to Hamakuapoko Road, near the Old Maui High School campus, where the truck had been abandoned.
Sparkman said, as far as he could tell, nothing was stolen. Inside were his phone and checkbook. He said police dusted for fingerprints. A cigarette lighter and cigarette were left behind. While the Ranger’s door was bent and scratched, the owner of the white Honda fared worse. Nichols-Sparkman said the getaway left a large gouge down the side of the vehicle.
Nichols-Sparkman said she decided to post about her experience when she got home.
“It really scares me that it could have been a mom with a car seat or something,” she said. “There could have been a kid in the back, or an elderly person sitting in the car. It could have been so much worse. It could have been so bad. I’m still shaken up.”
The longtime Maui resident says she has noticed an uptick of crime on Maui since the pandemic, one that has intensified since last August’s fires. She said a worker at a neighboring Makawao business told her they had been broken into more than a dozen times this year. Sparkman said one of his co-workers recently had their car hotwired and stolen during work hours on Wili Pa Loop in Wailuku.
“I want awareness brought to our community for safety reasons,” Nichols-Sparkman said. “This isn’t our same island right now. Moms, don’t leave your kids in the car when you go into the store. Husbands, don’t leave the engine running and leave your wife behind. If you’re going to sit in the car, lock the door, have the windows rolled up.”
Nichols-Sparkman said she and two coworkers witnessed an eerily similar carjacking last July 13 in Makawao. She heard a commotion outside her Baldwin Avenue real estate office and looked out the front window as a yelling man wrestled the car keys from an elderly woman with a cane, knocking her to the street. She said the woman’s companion was in the process of climbing in the passenger door. That woman tumbled to the ground as the car sped away.
Maui police later arrested 31-year-old Justin Feliciano when he reportedly crashed the 2017 Toyota Camry in Kahului and fought with officers and bystanders in the middle of Hana Highway. Feliciano was later charged with second-degree robbery, first degree unauthorized control of a vehicle, first degree theft, second degree assault, first degree negligent injury, reckless driving, resisting arrest and first degree terroristic threatening.
Nichols-Sparkman said Wednesday’s encounter at noon in the busy Longs parking lot has left a mark.
“I went to a doctor’s appointment yesterday,” she said. “I can’t seem to talk about the event without getting emotional. I’m OK, I’m not a victim, but I feel like I was a victim.”
She says part of her feels like she should have fought back or done more to resist. On one hand, she says she feels like she let her husband down by letting his truck be stolen, and on the other, she knows that while she did not see a knife that doesn’t mean her assailant did not have one. Or that they were not willing to use it.
“I guess I did the right thing. Just get out of the car and don’t fight. But I want people to know they should take precautions. I was on my phone, not paying attention to my surroundings.”
She says she also learned that pressing the buttons on a key fob will not disable a truck. She says she was pushing them as fast she could as the black Ranger squealed around the corner and roared out of sight.
In an email Friday, Maui Police Dept. Information and Education Specialist Alana Pico shared several tips for anyone caught up in such a situation.
“In the event of a UCPV (Unauthorized Control of a Propelled Vehicle) while you are in the vehicle, try to remain calm and cooperative. Avoid escalating the situation by arguing or resisting the offender’s demands. Your safety is the top priority. Remember that material possessions can be replaced, but your life and well-being are irreplaceable. Try to remember as many details as possible about the offender, such as physical description, clothing, and any unique identifiers (tattoos, scars, etc.). Once the incident is over, contact MPD immediately to report it, providing all the details you can remember to assist in the investigation.”
Pico also offered ways to avoid trouble.
“Be aware of your surroundings at all times, especially when entering and exiting your vehicle. Avoid secluded or poorly lit areas, particularly during late hours. Keep your vehicle doors locked and windows rolled up when driving, and while waiting in a parked vehicle. Avoid leaving valuables in plain sight. Trust your instincts—if something feels off or suspicious, don’t hesitate to leave the area and report it to MPD. Consider installing anti-theft devices or GPS tracking systems in your vehicle for added security.”
Pico reported there have been 161 UCPV cases so far this year (through Feb. 20), down from 182 over the same period last year.
Nichols-Sparkman said an officer called her Friday afternoon to report that the investigation into the carjacking is ongoing.