By F. Scott Faulkner
November 12, 2025 – Ventura County, CA
In the early hours of Nov. 10, a quiet morning at a Thousand Oaks sober living home erupted
into a multi-county chase after a gray 2004 Toyota Sienna minivan vanished from the property.
According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Detective Ethan Battle, the
vehicle’s 25-year-old owner “reported it stolen and identified the alleged thief” as Alyssa Wilson,
29, of Simi Valley, who also lived at the residential facility.
VCSD Deputies from Thousand Oaks and Moorpark stations began hunting for the stolen
vehicle, eventually spotting the minivan at a Simi Valley intersection.
When they tried to pull it over, the driver “accelerated in an attempt to evade deputies.”
What began as a routine stop quickly became treacherous as the Sienna traveled onto the 118 Freeway, hitting speeds near 90
mph.
The pursuit crossed into Los Angeles County, where Ventura County deputies maintained visual
contact with the fleeing van until it merged onto the southbound 405.
There, the California Highway Patrol took over the pursuit. The chase careened through Los Angeles, Orange and San
Diego counties before CHP units suspended their pursuit at the U.S.-Mexico border.
On November 11, CHP’s San Diego office notified Ventura County authorities that Wilson had
reentered the U.S. and surrendered.
Detectives from the East County Investigations Bureau traveled south and took her into custody without incident.
Wilson was booked into Ventura County Jail with her bail set at $50,000 pursuant to
charges of felony vehicle theft and felony evading with reckless disregard for public safety.
