Ricardo Vazquez-Gongora, 18, Pleads Guilty to Causing Soldier’s Death During Botched Car Theft

An 18-year-old man who caused a soldier’s death while stealing his car in Coronado pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Friday.

Ricardo Vazquez-Gongora was arrested last year for stealing 32-year- old Eddie Foster’s car on June 11, then crashing it as Foster clung to the car’s hood in an attempt to get the driver to stop, gravely injuring him.

Foster died after being taken off life support a few days later.

Foster, a father of four, was moonlighting as an Amazon driver and delivering packages when his car was taken, according to his family. The Bakersfield native was stationed at Naval Air Station North Island.

Vazquez-Gongora, who turned had 18 less than a month before the crash, is slated to be sentenced to 15 years to life in state prison in August.

At Vazquez-Gongora’s arraignment last summer, Deputy District Attorney Makenzie Harvey said he decided to steal a car after he and a teenage girl “found themselves stranded in Coronado.”

Harvey said the defendant came upon Foster’s car, which was running and unlocked while he was delivering a package.

After the teens got into his car, Foster jumped on the hood and was on the car for at least two miles as Vazquez-Gongora swerved the car back and forth in attempt to toss Foster from the hood, the prosecutor said.

Harvey said the victim called 911 while atop the car and told a dispatcher to track him, and that “he was going to be killed.”

The car ultimately crashed into the entrance of the San Diego-Coronado Bridge. Vazquez-Gongora and his teenage companion ran from the scene, but were located nearby by police and arrested.

City News Service contributed to this report.