Man Crashes Big Rig Fearing Zombies Were Chasing Him

Details Emerge On How Zombie-Fearing Man Stole Big Rig That Crashed In Temecula

The zombie-fearing man who stole a big rig at the Rainbow scales and then crashed it in Temecula was originally a passenger in the vehicle, the California Highway Patrol announced Wednesday.

Jerimiah Hartline, 19, of Tennessee, is accused of stealing a 2007 Freightliner three-axle tractor truck from the I-15 Rainbow Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Facility on Saturday around 6 p.m. and moments later crashing it in Temecula.

But Hartline had been a passenger in the big rig owned by North Carolina-based RC Scott Transport of Tennessee, according to new information released Wednesday by CHP Officer Nathan Baer.

"The original driver, Daniel Martinez, was driving from Tennessee to San Diego to pick up strawberries," Baer explained. "From San Diego, Martinez was to head to Maryland."

Martinez stopped at the Rainbow scales and asked Hartline to stay in the rig while he got out and made equipment some adjustments, according to Baer. With Martinez out of the vehicle, Hartline got in the driver's seat and headed northbound on the 15 Freeway.

Martinez, who lives in Tennessee, didn't originally tell officers that Hartline was in the truck because he was not suppose to have passengers, Baer said.

As Hartline made his getaway up the freeway, his driving was reported to be erratic.

"Hartline thought Zombies were chasing him and [were] clinging to the truck," Baer said. "Hartline swerved the truck side to side to shake the Zombies off."

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