A decorated Navy veteran vanished on Christmas Eve — and was found dead the next morning, his car partially submerged in floodwaters outside Los Angeles.
Authorities confirmed that 68-year-old Robert Jerry Hiller was discovered inside his blue Toyota Yaris in Lancaster, California, after a powerful holiday storm turned quiet desert roads into raging torrents.
Hiller had been on his way to visit friends for Christmas when disaster struck. “His absence leaves a profound void in the lives of his family and friends,” his niece, Mindy Mesec, said in a statement.
On December 24, the National Weather Service warned of flash flooding across Los Angeles, Ventura, and Santa Barbara counties. By nightfall, rainfall pounded the Antelope Valley.
Tim Swain, who was driving behind Hiller that evening, recalled the terrifying moment he saw the veteran head straight into danger.
“I see the waters and I see him driving into it,” Swain told KTLA. “I’m flashing my headlights and high beams, like, ‘No!’ But it was too late.”
Swain said the current swept Hiller’s car away within seconds. “I saw the headlights for a moment — and then they were gone,” he said.
When Hiller didn’t arrive at his destination, his family filed a missing persons report. On Christmas morning, air rescue crews spotted his vehicle half-submerged near East Avenue I and 50th Street East — a rural stretch that had become a temporary river.
Los Angeles County deputies confirmed he was found dead at the scene.
Hiller’s family described him as a man who had survived battles most people never face — both in war and in life.
“At 68 years old, Jerry was a proud Navy veteran who dedicated his life to service, both in the military and in his community,” Mesec wrote on a GoFundMe page. “With over 25 years of sobriety, he was a guiding light in the AA program — always ready to lend a hand or a listening ear to those in need.”
The fundraiser, launched to cover funeral costs, has already drawn support from friends, veterans, and neighbors who remember Hiller as a mentor and a man of quiet strength.
The deadly flood was part of a larger system that drenched Southern California over Christmas, washing out roads and trapping multiple drivers. In nearby Palmdale, several vehicles were swept off highways by the fast-moving water.
Officials continue to warn residents about the dangers of driving through flood zones — even when the water looks shallow.
For Hiller’s family, the tragedy has left an irreplaceable loss. “He survived the Navy, he survived addiction, and he helped so many people,” Mesec said. “We just wish the storm hadn’t taken him too.”
Source: KTLA, Los Angeles Times, GoFundMe
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