Veteran, 68, Found Dead in Partially Submerged Car After Being Swept Away in Storm While Driving to Friends for Christmas

A Navy veteran was found dead in his vehicle after being swept away by floodwater in California.

Robert Jerry Hiller, 68, was driving to meet his friends on Christmas Eve when his blue Toyota Yaris hatchback got caught in a storm along East Avenue I and 50th Street East in Lancaster, KTLA reported. Having not heard from him by Christmas Day, his family filed a missing persons report.

Air rescue crews located Hiller inside his partially submerged vehicle at around 9:45 a.m. local time. He was pronounced dead at the scene, KTLA reported, citing Los Angeles County deputies.

Tim Swain, a witness to the incident, recalled seeing Hiller driving ahead of him and trying to warn him of the sudden rushing water.

“I see [the waters] and I see him driving into it and I’m flashing my headlights and high beams, like, ‘No!’” said Swain, per KTLA.

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Swain said that Hiller’s vehicle was swept away by the floodwaters. He got out of his car to locate him, but was unable to find him.

“I walk over there and I yell [out to him]. I wanted to go in there, but I knew I couldn’t because I would’ve been washed away,” Swain told KTLA. “I saw the headlights for a second and then they were gone.”

Swain reached out to Hiller’s family after seeing the missing persons report shared on social media.

Hiller’s death came after the U.S. National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings and severe storm warnings in the areas of Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara over Christmas.

Hiller’s niece, Mindy Mesec said, “his passing was a heartbreaking shock to all who loved him” on a GoFundMe page set up in his memory.

“At 68 years old, Jerry was a proud Navy veteran who dedicated his life to service, both in the military and in his community,” Mesec wrote, having already raised over $500 towards her goal of $7000 to cover his funeral costs.

“With over 25 years of sobriety, he was a guiding light in the AA program, always ready to lend a hand or a listening ear to those in need,” she continued. “His absence leaves a profound void in the lives of his family and friends.”

PEOPLE has contacted the Los Angeles Fire Department and Los Angeles Police Department for comment.