California man stole a Yosemite National Park ranger's vehicle and sparked a high-speed chase before plummeting 200 feet off a cliff, prosecutors say

• A grand jury has indicted a 28-year-old California man over an incident at Yosemite National Park.
• The man is accused of stealing a park ranger's vehicle, leading to a high-speed chase and crash.
• If convicted, he faces up to 13 years in prison and $510,000 in fines.

A federal grand jury indicted a California man accused of stealing a Yosemite National Park ranger's vehicle and leading a "high-speed chase" before driving off a cliff.

The US attorney Phillip A. Talbert said in a news release that Christian Claustro, 28, had been charged with theft of personal property, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, and fleeing or eluding a police officer. If convicted, he faces up to 13 years in prison and $510,000 in fines. 

According to the release, Claustro is accused of stealing the vehicle from a Yosemite ranger who had pulled over to remove a bike left in the roadway on December 26, 2022. This prompted a "high-speed chase" through the park, eventually reaching the Ferguson Slide bridge, the US attorney's office said.

Claustro drove the wrong way on the bridge and collided with another vehicle, prosecutors said. While the other vehicle was "disabled by the amount of damage caused," Claustro continued until he drove off a cliff, falling 200 feet to the bottom of a canyon, the news release said. 

This isn't the first time tourists have been accused of misbehaving in US national parks. In May 2023, a bison calf had to be euthanized after a man lifted it out of a river in Yellowstone National Park, prompting its herd to reject it. 

"Visitors later observed the calf walk up to and follow cars and people," a news release for that incident said. "Park rangers tried repeatedly to reunite the calf with the herd, but their efforts were unsuccessful."

It added: "The calf was later euthanized by park staff because it was abandoned by the herd and causing a hazardous situation by approaching cars and people along the roadway." 

The man pleaded guilty to one count of feeding, touching, teasing, frightening, or intentionally disturbing wildlife. 

In August 2023, Yellowstone barred a tourist accused of being intoxicated when he went off-trail in one of the park's thermal areas. According to a news release, the man pleaded not guilty to criminal charges but is barred from Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks until the charges are resolved.