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A female individual formerly staying at a women’s sobriety home in California reportedly stole a minivan and led a hours-long police chase ending with her traveling across the international boundary into the nation of Mexico on Monday.

Auto Theft Reported from Sober Living Home

According to a law enforcement statement, a second woman, Nicolle Walters, forty-five years old, reported that her 2004 gray Toyota Sienna was stolen, along with her car key. The owner, who operates two female recovery residences, named the alleged thief as Alyssa Wilson at Diana’s House Sober Living, located approximately an hour’s drive of Los Angeles.

“My keys were taken from my house manager’s purse. I happened to pull up right when it was happening,” Walters stated, adding that the vehicle is used for the facility’s daily operations.

Dramatic Chase Develops Across Multiple Counties

Authorities tracked the van about 19 kilometers to the north in a nearby city, where they tried to initiate a traffic stop, but Wilson did not comply and accelerated rapidly. She attained speeds of about 145km/h on the State Route 118 until the chase continued into LA County. At that point, Ventura county authorities transferred the pursuit to the CHP once Wilson merged onto the Interstate 405 heading south.

“This incident is particularly unusual in the context of the traffic conditions enabling drivers to persist on the highway and prolong this chase,” said a public information officer from the Ventura county sheriff’s office.

The suspect reportedly avoided all the spike strips deployed on the roadway by authorities, as seen in aerial videos.

Cross-Border Escape and Aftermath

The chase eventually reached the US-Mexico border by 1.30pm, leading to the highway patrol to terminate the chase due to jurisdictional constraints.

Walters indicated on the following day that the vehicle was located in the Mexican city of Tijuana and that she was working with the authorities to recover the vehicle.

“At the end of the day, I’m not concerned with the vehicle,” she said. “I’m relieved aware she was not injured. The minivan is replaceable.”

Owner’s Perspective

Walters, who has run Diana’s House Sober Living since October 2024, recognizes that the path to recovery from addiction and trauma is often non-linear.

“This represents a psychological and substance abuse crisis,” she said. “There is a need for additional assistance. We need greater resources for those that are struggling.”

“The recovery process isn’t always pretty,” she added.