Missing fire captain from Lodi found alive in Sierra

Jerome "Jay" Martinez, 38, a Lodi resident and Stockton fire captain, was found at Beardsley Lake near a vehicle east of Sonora off Highway 108, Lodi police said. Two fishermen found Martinez suffering from some sort of non-life-threatening medical condition, and he was taken to a hospital in the Sonora area.

Martinez left his Lodi home around 6:30 a.m. and never arrived to teach a hazardous materials fire training class in Stockton, Lodi police said.

Investigators traced Martinez's cell phone to Tuolumne County, but the area was rough and hilly, somewhere within a radius of more than four miles from the cell phone tower, Sgt. Tod Patterson said. Martinez had previously checked his voice mail at 7:19 a.m. in the Lodi area, but his phone was never answered throughout the day.

Martinez's disappearance triggered a large manhunt, with a command post at a Stockton fire station. By mid-day, fliers were circulating through Lodi, featuring Martinez's photo and a description of his 2003 gray Ford F-250 extended-cab truck.

Through a St. Peter Lutheran Church pastor, the family had declined to comment to avoid compromising the search, but asked for prayers.

The case was first handled for several hours by San Joaquin County Sheriff's deputies, but it was turned over to Lodi police because Martinez lives in the city limits, Sheriff's spokesman Les Garcia said.

A California Highway Patrol plane happened to be in the area working speed enforcement, so it flew over the route Martinez would have taken to work, looking for any vehicle crashes, CHP Officer Adrian Quintero said. When investigators got the location of the cell phone trace, the plane flew over the Tuolumne County area, ultimately finding nothing.

Later, Tuolumne County deputies and off-duty Stockton firefighters searched the area near the cell phone tower, but the season's first rain hindered that effort, Patterson said.

Police often do not get involved in missing adult cases immediately because many people leave voluntarily and come home within hours. In cases like the Martinez matter, the investigation begins sooner because the circumstances are very uncharacteristic, Lodi Police Capt. Gary Benincasa said.

None of Martinez's bank accounts appeared to have been touched, he had a class to teach, and family members said Martinez had never disappeared before, Patterson said.

The exact circumstances of Martinez's disappearance and return were not immediately released Thursday night. Deputies were sent to the medical center near Sonora to learn more about his condition and determine what had happened, Lodi Police Officer Dale Eubanks said.

Beardsley Lake, about 100 miles east of Lodi, is near the small towns of Strawberry and Pinecrest, north of Yosemite National Park. The lake is featured on a number of Web sites catering to fishing fans.

Contact reporter Layla Bohm at layla@lodinews.com.

Reader Feedback

weezer wrote on Oct 31, 2008 3:49 PM:

" i'm relieved that he was found alive but can't help but think about the cost. "

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LodiReaderFromStockton wrote on Oct 31, 2008 10:10 AM:

" While I'm very glad he's alive, you just know if it were you or I there wouldn't have been this all out search. An average Joe doesn't have the "pull" that someone in position does. "

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T & C wrote on Oct 31, 2008 7:57 AM:

" This cost a lot of money and one must ponder on the real reason why this man disappeared. Perhaps it will unravel in time. I am glad though he is alive! "

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Missing fire captain from Lodi found alive in Sierra

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