Drone Helps Deputies Catch Arson Suspect In Spring Valley

SPRING VALLEY, CA — A drone helped track down an arson suspect accused of setting a fire that threatened homes and prompted evacuations in Spring Valley, authorities said Wednesday.

The San Diego County Sheriff's Office received a call shortly after 6:30 p.m. May 25 about a man using a lighter to set a palm tree on fire near the Spring Valley Swap Meet in the 6000 block of Quarry Road, according to the agency. The flames threatened homes and prompted evacuations of residents along the 8800 block of Spring Canyon Drive.

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Deputies from the Rancho San Diego Sheriff's Station and officers with the California Highway Patrol searched the area, while a deputy with the Sheriff's Unmanned Aerial Systems Program deployed a drone over a nearby riverbed.

The drone located the suspect and tracked his movements, relaying real-time information to a sheriff's ASTREA helicopter before being grounded so firefighting aircraft could extinguish the flames, officials said.

Deputies arrested Miguel Hernandez, 35, a short time later near the interchange of state Routes 125 and 54.

No injuries were reported.

The Sheriff's UAS Program was established in 2016 with a small team of remote pilots and a limited number of drones. Sine then, the program has expanded to include more than 60 certified remote pilots and a fleet of more than 70 aircraft.

The Sheriff's Office said the drone-assisted arrest underscores the growing role of unmanned aircraft in public safety operations, including search warrants, search and rescue missions, patrol responses, and crime scene documentation.