It turns out that three Colombian nationals were behind the March kidnapping, extortion and robbery of a 79-year-old victim in Fontana and that the trio was involved in other burglary activity in that city and areas elsewhere, both near and distant.
On March 11, 2026, two Hispanic men approached the elderly man, also a Latino, at El Super market located at 16950 Foothill Boulevard. The two suspects led the victim to believe they were armed and told him they would harm his daughter if he did not comply with their demands, thus prevailing on him to drive them in his car to the Wells Fargo bank near Summit Avenue. At the bank, the victim withdrew $25,000 and gave the money to the suspects. The suspects then used the threat of violence to get the victim to drive a short distance to a Target store, where he was told to go inside. When the 79-year-old did as he was instructed, the two men fled.
The Fontana Police Department was contacted that night and informed that the man, who has not been identified, had been kidnapped, extorted and robbed.
An extensive investigation, which involved the study of video footage at four separate locations and cross-referencing other available evidence, ensued. The two men who had confronted the victim at El Super were tentatively identified as Reinaldo Estrella, 52, and his son, Jonathan Estrella, 29. A third suspect, the getaway driver who had dropped both Estrellas off at El Super prior to the kidnapping, was identified as Kevin Bernal, 23.
On May 5, officers and detectives with the Fontana Police Department conducted surveillance of a residence in Glendora, determining that Reinaldo Estrella, Jonathan Estrella and Bernal were present before they moved in.
The Estrellas and Bernal were determined to be Colombian nationals, who are also wanted in connection with similar crimes in surrounding jurisdictions, as as for crimes in other states. They were also identified as primary suspects involved in residential burglaries that took place in Fontana late last year and in April 2026. A mode of operation employed by the three in their burglaries, detectives learned, consisted of the use of video cameras placed on the target property, in nearby gardens or landscaping with which targeted homes were monitored and the occupants’ comings and goings were noted and timed, whereafter the burglary team would wait for the victims to leave and then enter the property in question to effectuate the thefts.
All three suspects were arrested and booked for robbery, kidnapping and elder abuse. They were booked at the West Valley Detention Center.
-Mark Gutglueck