Grandfather Killed in Norco ARCO Carjacking

James Norman, a 79-year-old Army veteran and grandfather, was killed in Norco, California, after being dragged half a mile by his own SUV during a violent carjacking at an ARCO gas station. Norman was vacuuming his vehicle when Ryan Hewitt, 29, jumped into the driver’s seat and sped off, with Norman partially inside the back seat. Norman, who was not wearing his hearing aids and may not have heard the initial commotion, was eventually ejected from the moving vehicle and later pronounced dead at the hospital. Witnesses called police and good Samaritans shielded Norman from traffic after he was left on the road. Hewitt was arrested near the abandoned SUV and charged with carjacking and murder. Norman’s family described him as modest and big-hearted, expressing deep grief over his loss.