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A woman previously residing at a female recovery facility in California allegedly took a stolen van and engaged in a hours-long police chase culminating with her crossing the international boundary into the nation of Mexico on Monday.

Vehicle Theft Discovered 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 missing, along with her vehicle key. Walters, who manages two women’s sober living homes, identified the suspect as Alyssa Wilson at a recovery facility in Thousand Oaks, situated 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 occurring,” she said, adding that the minivan is used for the facility’s daily operations.

Dramatic Chase Unfolds Across Several Regions

Authorities located the van about 19 kilometers to the north in a nearby city, where they tried to initiate a traffic stop, but Wilson refused to stop and accelerated rapidly. She reached speeds of about 90mph on the State Route 118 until the pursuit continued into Los Angeles county. At that point, local sheriff’s deputies transferred the operation to the CHP once Wilson merged onto the Interstate 405 traveling southbound.

“This incident is particularly unusual in the sense of the traffic conditions enabling individuals to continue to remain on the freeway and prolong this chase,” said a spokesperson from the local law enforcement agency.

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

Cross-Border Escape and Aftermath

The chase eventually reached the US-Mexico border by early afternoon, prompting the CHP to terminate the chase due to jurisdictional constraints.

The vehicle owner stated on the following day that the vehicle was situated in the Mexican city of Tijuana and that she was working with the authorities to retrieve it.

“Ultimately, I’m not concerned with the car,” she remarked. “I’m more at ease knowing she wasn’t hurt. The car is easily substituted.”

Owner’s Perspective

Walters, who has run Diana’s House Sober Living since October 2024, recognizes that the journey toward sobriety from addiction and trauma is not always linear.

“This is a psychological and addiction crisis,” she said. “There is a need for additional assistance. We need greater resources for those that are facing challenges.”

“The recovery process can be messy,” she added.