SANTA ANA – A Chilean national in the United States on a visa waiver from the Department of Homeland Security who sentenced to state prison for his role in a wrong way head-on collision on the freeway while being pursued by law enforcement after he and his partner burglarized a San Juan Capistrano home has now escaped from a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation fire prison camp.
Alejandro Tobarfuentes and Jorge Navarretecorvalan, were arrested on Saturday, June 8, 2024, after crashing their Mini Cooper head-on into a Toyota Camry while driving northbound in the southbound lanes after narrowly missing hitting an Orange County Sheriff’s deputy who had tried to pull their vehicle over. The driver suffered serious injuries.
Just before the June 2024 head-on collision, Tobarfuentes and Navarretecorvalan are accused of working together to break into a San Juan Capistrano home to steal a safe, designer handbags, and jewelry. When the two men were arrested, they identified themselves using Venezuelan identification cards which law enforcement determined were fake and they were in fact Chilean nationals.
Navarretecorvalan has been charged with one felony count of first-degree burglary, one felony count of evading a peace officer while driving opposite of traffic, one felony count of driving the wrong way on a divided highway causing injury or death, and one felony count of possession of a forged identification card. Tobarfuentes plead guilty in April to one felony count of first-degree burglary, one felony count of possession of a forged identification card, and one misdemeanor count of possession of burglary tools. He was sentenced to four years and eight months in state prison. Navarretecorvalan is awaiting trial.
On Sunday, November 9, 2025, Tobarfuentes walked away from the Francisquito Conservation Camp in Los Angeles County, prompting a manhunt for the missing prisoner.
According to a CDCR press release, at approximately 10:00 p.m., staff was notified camp participant Tobarfuentes was discovered missing from the camp. Staff immediately initiated an emergency count, confirming Tobarfuentes was not at the camp. Within minutes, agents from CDCR’s Office of Correctional Safety were directed to locate and apprehend Tobarfuentes and notification was made to local law enforcement.
Tobarfuentes, 33, is 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs 164 pounds. He has brown eyes and black hair and was last seen wearing gray sweatpants, gray sweatshirt, and an orange beanie.
Tobarfuentes and Navarretecorvalan entered the United States through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization System (ESTA) Visa Waiver Program which is administered through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. For $21, applicants from countries which participate in the ESTA program can be granted unlimited access to the United States, up to 90 days at a time, for a two-year period. Applicants are granted access within 72 hours of applying for an ESTA visa waiver. For years, Chile refused to provide the criminal background checks for their residents as required by the ESTA program requirements. In 2022, 350,000 Chilean nationals entered the United States through the ESTA visa waiver program without background checks.
In May 2023, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer began sounding the alarm regarding the loophole in the ESTA visa program which continues to be exploited by organized crime rings in Chile to enter the United States to commit residential burglaries throughout the United States.
“The ESTA visa waiver program has created a direct pipeline for organized crime to shuttle thieves into the United States, resulting in Americans continuing to be terrorized by criminals who are stalking them in their homes and waiting for the perfect moment to break their back sliders and steal their most prized possessions,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “We are doing everything we can to hold these criminals accountable and instead of putting them behind bars where they belong, Governor Newsom and the state Legislature are continuing to allow dangerous prisoners opportunities to escape responsibility, knowing the serious risk they pose to public safety. This individual broke into someone’s home to steal, seriously injured another driver and endangered the life of a Sheriff’s deputy and every other driver on the road while trying to escape going the wrong way on the freeway, lied to police about his identity and now walked away from a minimum-security CDCR fire camp. When is enough enough?”
Anyone who sees Tobarfuentes or has knowledge of his whereabouts should contact law enforcement, call 911, or contact Special Agent S. Rojas 909-727-1947.