The Irvine Police Department (IPD) arrested 46-year-old Rhean Fontanoza, of Aliso Viejo, for the murder of a UPS driver.
Yesterday, at about 3:00 p.m., IPD responded to the area of Fleming and Chrysler after multiple reports of gunshots being heard. Officers arrived on scene and located a UPS driver slumped over in the driver’s seat of his delivery truck. Officers pulled him from the vehicle and began life saving measures. The driver suffered multiple gunshot wounds and died from his injuries. He was identified as Expedito Cuesta De Leon, 50, of Aliso Viejo.
Surveillance footage captured the suspect vehicle pulling alongside the UPS truck then fleeing the scene on Goodyear towards Jeronimo. The vehicle was a silver Honda Ridgeline 4-door truck with a black truck bed liner and black rims. The driver and solo occupant was described as a white male wearing dark clothing, a dark colored baseball cap and a face mask.
A countywide broadcast was given, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department located a vehicle matching the description of the suspect vehicle on Santiago Canyon Road shortly before 4:00 p.m.
IPD officers responded to the scene and confirmed it was the suspect vehicle. The IPD Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) arrived at the scene, and Fontanoza was eventually taken into custody for homicide.
Although the motive is still unknown, it appears Fontanoza and De Leon were acquaintances.
Anyone who may have witnessed this incident or who has information related to this investigation is asked to contact Detective Craig Voors at 949-724-7131 or email cvoors@cityofirvine.org.
It has been established that Fontanoza and De Leon both worked together at UPS. This prompted UPS to issue a statement:
“We are shocked and saddened by the latest developments in Irvine, CA. These are highly unusual circumstances and do not represent the culture of our company and the camaraderie among our employees around the world,” a spokesperson said. “Our focus now is on supporting our people and their loved ones during this extremely difficult time. Since the investigation is ongoing, we defer any additional questions to the investigating authorities.”
