Suspect arrested after attempted kidnapping on UCSC campus

The female student was attempting to hitch-hike from the bus stop

The man who may have been attempting to abduct a woman hitch-hiking on UCSC campus has been detained.

Police officers arrested Jose Calderon Ortiz, 28, yesterday at 9 p.m. and booked him at Santa Cruz Country Jail.

Around 12:45 a.m. yesterday morning, a female student was waiting for a bus at the Kresge College bus stop (at Heller Drive and McLaughlin Drive) when she decided to hitchhike a ride to reach the base of campus.

According to reports, when she got into the car, she reported that the driver had a Spanish accent and seemed to be intoxicated and was smoking marijuana. She then saw a vehicle approaching that happened to be a four door sedan with dark gray or silver paint. There were also red paper dealer plates from a Watsonville dealership. The student then described that the driver was a Hispanic man, who seemed to be 24 years old with short, slicked back hair. However, when they reached the High and Bay streets, the driver did not stop as he agreed to, despite the female student’s pleas to stop the car. The driver just continued onto Mission Street.

Finally the driver slowed down to make a right turn to head north on Mission Street, the student quickly exited the vehicle while the driver fled the area by driving away. It was reported (from UC Santa Cruz’s police reports) that the student suffered minor injuries.

Santa Cruz County Anti-Crime Team detained Ortiz for a probation compliance check after a traffic stop. His car was then impounded.

Anyone with information on the incident should call UCSC Police on 831-459-2231.

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