Police are again seeking the public’s assistance in finding a 29-year-old man they suspect carjacked two vehicles after being picked up hitchhiking.
Police are again seeking the public’s assistance in finding a 29-year-old man they suspect carjacked two vehicles after being picked up hitchhiking.
Mason D. Beck is wanted in connection with carjackings that allegedly took place March 15 and Friday in Puna.
On Friday, a 66-year-old local man told police he picked up a man hitchhiking in the Hawaiian Paradise Park subdivision. In the Keaau town area, the hitchhiker allegedly pulled a knife and ordered the victim to drive to Stainback Highway. When they reached the old quarry area, the suspect ordered the victim to stop the pickup truck, then took some of the man’s personal belongings, ordered him out of the truck, then drove off toward Highway 11.
The stolen truck is a blue 1991 Ford F-150 with Hawaii license plate number ZAY 202.
In the earlier incident, a 37-year-old visitor from Germany told officers he was driving a friend’s vehicle when he stopped to pick up a male hitchhiker on the Pahoa-Kalapana Road (Highway 130) near Pahoa.
After getting into the car, the suspect threatened the victim with a carpenter’s nail gun and instructed him to continue driving.
About 5 or 6 miles past Pahoa, the suspect ordered the victim to pull to the side of the road, at which time he ordered the victim out of the car. The suspect left with the vehicle and was last seen headed toward Kalapana.
Beck is known to frequent Pahoa town and the Kalapana Black Sands subdivision, though he is not known to have a permanent residence. He’s described as Caucasian, 5 feet 11 inches tall, and 225 pounds with a medium build, blonde hair, blue eyes, a short beard and a scar on the left side of his face.
Police strongly urge motorists to make wise decisions about picking up hitchhikers.
Both incidents are being investigated as armed robberies.
Anyone with information about either incident or who knows Beck’s whereabouts is asked to contact Detective Wendall Carter at 961-2383 or wendall.carter@hawaiicounty.gov. Those who prefer anonymity can call Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 and could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.