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Deputies arrest suspect in shooting at cars traveling along River Road
cars shot
Three vehicles were struck by shotgun blasts on early Tuesday morning when driving along River Road – which connects Ripon with the outskirts of Escalon and Modesto and continues to near Oakdale.

San Joaquin County Sheriff’s deputies have arrested a man they believe is responsible for shooting at passing cars along a country road that connects San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties with a shotgun.

Javier Rivera, 39, a resident of Riverbank, was arrested this week after two drivers that were struck with shotgun blasts relayed information to authorities that allowed them to track him down.

When contacted by authorities, Rivera admitted that on Tuesday morning he fired a shotgun at cars along River Road – which starts in Ripon and continues east past McHenry Avenue before dead-ending and continuing slightly north into Oakdale – which allowed officers to take him into custody.

Rivera was also found to be in possession of a pistol-sized, 12-gauge double-barrel shotgun and a sawed-off, pump-action 12-gauge shotgun – as well as a small amount of methamphetamine, a pipe, and pepper spray.

One of the vehicles that was struck with a shotgun shell – which appears to be a Dodge SUV – was shot right next to the gas tank, and Chevy pickup truck was struck on the driver’s side door just beneath the mirror. Nobody was reported injured.

While the most recent shootings occurred this week, reports of vehicles being struck by shotgun blasts along River Road have been coming into the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office for several months.

Rivera is currently being held in the San Joaquin County Jail without bail on multiple charges of attempted murder, shooting at an inhabited vehicle, and being a felon in possession of a gun as well as other gun and drug charges. He is scheduled to appear in the Manteca branch of the San Joaquin County Superior Court on Feb. 17 to answer to the charges.

While crime analysts with the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office helped identify the vehicle involved that led to Rivera’s arrest, Riverbank Police Services – which are administered by the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office – played a role in the investigation and Rivera’s arrest.   

Rivera reportedly chose all of his victims at random, and the investigation is still ongoing. Known to be transitory, he is known to have visited San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, and Fresno counties within the last week. Anybody with any information about similar crimes or anything that may be beneficial to the investigation is encouraged to contact the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office at 209.468.4400 and select Option 1 at the menu and ask to leave a message for Sgt. Thomas.

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.