Missing Yuba City teen rescued after dramatic Central California police chase

By Cecilio Padilla

A missing Yuba City teen was rescued from a burning vehicle after a police chase ended with the driver going off a cliff in Kern County, police said.

According to the Yuba City Police Department, the 17-year-old was reported missing Sept. 27 from a home on White Rock Drive. Police considered her at risk because of her age, a medical condition and the circumstances of her disappearance.

Investigators learned she had been communicating with 26-year-old Cameron Childers, a Texas man who had recently traveled to Yuba City.

Police noted Childers also had pending charges in Texas involving child sexual abuse material.

Flock cameras helped detectives track Childers’ vehicle from Yuba City to the Bakersfield area, police said.

When officers tried to stop him, police said Childers led them on a chase through the Kern River Canyon toward Lake Isabella. CHP deployed spike strips, but Childers continued driving before eventually going off a cliff.

Officers rescued Childers and the teen as the vehicle caught fire. Both suffered minor to moderate injuries.

Yuba City detectives later arrested Childers on suspicion of several crimes, including child abduction, kidnapping, rape and contacting a child with intent to commit a specified offense.

Childers was booked into the Kern County Jail, where he also faces charges related to the chase.